Pressure isn't a negative thing, says Indian men's hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh
The World Cup didn’t go to plan for the Indian men’s hockey team. Despite much euphoria and a commanding lead of 3-1 against New Zealand, India failed to hold on and were knocked out ahead of the quarter-final stage. It has been a steady climb back up since for captain Harmanpreet Singh.
Doing well in the Pro League and scoring the highest number of penalty corner goals, he is back to leading India on home turf at the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) in Chennai. And with Pakistan in the mix, it is always a special match-up to look forward to. Singh talks to Boria Majumdar about the ACT, preparations for the upcoming Asian Games and more.
Excerpts:After World Cup disappointment, you did well in the Pro League and against higher-ranked European teams. How are you looking at things now? The World Cup was a major disappointment. Despite wanting to do our best, we were not able to win.
It happens sometimes in sport and we learnt from that and tried to get better as athletes. That’s what is most important. We, as a team, are well prepared for the future challenges.
We have consistently done well against European teams and even when we have lost a game, we have created enough opportunities to score. That’s when you know that with minor refinements you are as good as any team in the world. In the Asian Champions Trophy, we are playing with the teams that we will have to face in the Hangzhou Asian Games.
It’s good preparation for the Asian Games, which will also serve as Olympic qualifiers for us. We want to win the gold and close the qualification process.Playing against Pakistan is always a special occasion. Your thoughts on this match. Yes, it is a special match and a special occasion.
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