"It's important we don’t take anything for granted" - Indian hockey team's vice-captain Hardik Singh ahead of Paris 2024 Olympics
Indian hockey men's vice-captain Hardik Singh is optimistic about his team's performance in the ongoing FIH Hockey Pro League but wants them to keep working on their strengths to prepare well for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
India are currently placed fourth in the FIH Hockey Pro League points table with 24 points (five wins, six draws, and three losses) from 14 games. The London stage of the tournament saw India feature in two games. They prevailed 3-0 over Germany on June 1 and faced a 1-3 loss against Great Britain.
The Indian team will face Germany (June 8) and Great Britain (June 9) in their remaining two matches of the London leg. According to Hardik, they would look to keep their momentum going and strive to secure results in their favor.
“We have played some good hockey, but there are still some areas where we need to improve if we want the result to go in our favor,” vice-captain Hardik Singh was quoted as saying by News18.
“Our objective in these last two matches will be to start aggressively and work on our best combinations. We will go step-by-step, try to play good hockey, and most importantly look to keep the momentum going,” he added.
Furthermore, Hardik assured the hockey fans that they are determined to give their best in their bid to prepare for the Paris 2024 Olympics. He said:
“The entire team knows that the London stage of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 matches are very important in our preparations for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics."
“Therefore, it is important that we don’t take anything for granted and give our best out there,” Hardik added.
Can Indian Hockey team end gold medal drought in Paris 2024 Olympics?
Indian men's hockey team have secured a total of eight gold medals: 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964, and 1980 so far in the Olympics. India secured a bronze medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. It was their first-ever medal in the Summer Games after 41 years.
The Indian contingent secured a 3-2 victory over New Zealand in their first game. Then, Manpreet Singh and company suffered a 1-7 loss to Australia. They bounced back with a 3-0 Spain and upset Argentina 3-1 to secure a place in the quarter-finals. They finished the pool stage with a 5-3 victory win against Japan.
In the quarter-finals, India overcame the challenge of Great Britain 3-1. However, they lost 5-2 against Belgium to miss out on a shot at the gold medal. Then, they prevailed 5-4 over Argentina to claim the bronze medal.
It will be interesting to see if the men's hockey team can strike gold in the Paris 2024 Olympics.