When India plays Germany in their FIH Men’s Hockey Pro League matchup on Friday, they’ll be looking for vengeance.
The Indian team, captained by star drag flicker Harmanpreet Singh, suffered an unexpected World Cup elimination in the round of 16.
The India captain, who is currently tied for third place in the tournament’s scoring standings, said that every game at this point presents a challenge for the team, particularly when Australia and Germany are the opponents.
“However, since the Asian Games are our main priority, it’s good for us that we are getting to play such difficult matches. So, by participating in such games, we will ensure that we develop as a team and do our best moving forward,” Harmanpreet added.
India wasted the most circle entries (155) in the World Cup, demonstrating their best wastefulness.
“We discussed and worked on it in the camp (in Bengaluru). In order to make sure we reach our three goals, we must concentrate on keeping the ball and avoiding careless turnovers. The main emphasis is on pressure management and strengthening our decision-making, he said.
India’s first game following Graham Reid’s departure is this one. Although the South African is expected to join the team later, Craig Fulton was named as their coach.
For the four games, interim coaches David John and BJ Kariappa will be in charge.
India has fired senior players Mandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh, and Amit Rohidas following their World Cup disaster. Goalkeeper Krishan Pathak will be absent due to his wedding.
Hardik Singh, who was promoted to vice-captain, stated that while India will adjust their strategy, their core values will not change.
“Our strategy will only be slightly altered; however, the team’s core values and guiding principles will not change. Additionally, we will work on maintaining possession in addition to our attacking style of play, Hardik said.
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India, who are currently fourth in the standings, hosted Spain and New Zealand in October of last year’s FIH Hockey Pro League 2022/2023 at the Kalinga Stadium.
They beat New Zealand 4-3 and 7-4 to start off their campaign. This was followed by losses to Spain of 3-2 and 2-2, respectively.
Germany, who are fifth in the Pro League with eight points after four games, will, on the other hand, be brimming with confidence after winning the World Cup.
The German team, captained by Mats Grambusch, will aim to maintain their strong run of form and will be eager to compete at their highest level against the hosts.
Grambusch, however, thinks that the team needs to continue improving every day because the World Cup victory is now history.
Since we prevailed in shootouts in our semifinal and championship games, “all of our games in the World Cup 2023 were really close.
“In the final few seconds of the game, we won the semi-final. We have to improve what we can improve and that’s going to be our focus because there will be many competitive games against some good teams like Australia, India, Belgium, and Netherlands leading up to the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to Grambusch.
All six games, which will feature two games each between India, Germany, and Australia, will be held in Rourkela.
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