We will try to give our best: India skipper Sardar Singh
9 Jan 2014 11:44 PM GMT
The tournament will feature the best teams of the world including reigning Olympic champions Germany and World Champions Australia besides the Netherlands, England, Belgium, Argentina, New Zealand and hosts India.
It will be India’s newly-appointed coach Terry Walsh’s first assignment with the national team.
‘We have the world’s best coaches and hockey completely depends on the technique. We are having good training sessions and will try to give our best. We are aiming for a top-4 finish in the tournament,’ Sardar said after unveiling the event trophy here. ’This tournament will give us good experience and exposure as it is a new event. We are lucky that the final round is being held in India. We have a young team which is improving day-by-day. Our month long camp in Bhopal helped the players improve their performance a lot.’
India have been placed with Australia, Netherlands and Germany in Group A and will face a tough opener Jan 10 against World No.4 England. ‘We are playing England in the first match. We are totally focused on the match and will go all out against them. It is an important game and we will try our best to win. In today’s hockey, you cannot take any team lightly,’ said Sardar.
Australia skipper Mark Knowles feels all the teams would be taking some time to settle into the groove as they are coming from breaks.
‘I think all the teams would be a bit jittery initially. The real test would be from the quarterfinal onwards. Out first target would be to seal the knockout berth and then push from there.’
We don’t think about rankings: Dutch skipper Van der Horst
NEW DELHI: The Netherlands skipper Robert van der Horst said his team doesn’t think about rankings prior to the first ever Hockey World League to be held here from 10th January.
He said all participating teams are very strong and it will be tough for his side who have played indoor hockey for last couple of months. ‘We haven’t played outdoor hockey for last two months. It will be tough for us to handle.’
‘We aren’t thinking about the rankings. Every team can win the tournament,’ said Horst. He also added that the main focus of the team also lies in the upcoming events. ‘The idea of these many tournaments are certainly good. But the players need rest too.’
It will be India’s newly-appointed coach Terry Walsh’s first assignment with the national team.
‘We have the world’s best coaches and hockey completely depends on the technique. We are having good training sessions and will try to give our best. We are aiming for a top-4 finish in the tournament,’ Sardar said after unveiling the event trophy here. ’This tournament will give us good experience and exposure as it is a new event. We are lucky that the final round is being held in India. We have a young team which is improving day-by-day. Our month long camp in Bhopal helped the players improve their performance a lot.’
India have been placed with Australia, Netherlands and Germany in Group A and will face a tough opener Jan 10 against World No.4 England. ‘We are playing England in the first match. We are totally focused on the match and will go all out against them. It is an important game and we will try our best to win. In today’s hockey, you cannot take any team lightly,’ said Sardar.
Australia skipper Mark Knowles feels all the teams would be taking some time to settle into the groove as they are coming from breaks.
‘I think all the teams would be a bit jittery initially. The real test would be from the quarterfinal onwards. Out first target would be to seal the knockout berth and then push from there.’
We don’t think about rankings: Dutch skipper Van der Horst
NEW DELHI: The Netherlands skipper Robert van der Horst said his team doesn’t think about rankings prior to the first ever Hockey World League to be held here from 10th January.
He said all participating teams are very strong and it will be tough for his side who have played indoor hockey for last couple of months. ‘We haven’t played outdoor hockey for last two months. It will be tough for us to handle.’
‘We aren’t thinking about the rankings. Every team can win the tournament,’ said Horst. He also added that the main focus of the team also lies in the upcoming events. ‘The idea of these many tournaments are certainly good. But the players need rest too.’
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