“We are trying out the best combinations before the final squad is selected for the Olympics” - Indian men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh
Indian men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh has emphasized that the European Leg of the FIH Pro League 2023-24 will be the last chance to select the final squad for the forthcoming Paris Olympics 2024.
Team India will be trying out different strategies and combinations in the Pro League as they leave for Antwerp, Belgium, on Tuesday, May 14. India is currently ranked at the third spot in the standings behind the Netherlands and Australia.
“We are trying out the best combinations before the final squad is selected for the Olympics. Hence, the Pro League outing is crucial in our preparations for Paris as well as for players to make it to the 16-member squad for Paris,” Harmanpreet Singh told Hockey India.
Team India will lock horns with Belgium and Argentina from May 22 to 26 in Antwerp. Later, they will clash against Germany and Great Britain from June 1 to 9 in London. Regrettably, the Men in Blue are coming into this competition on the back of a 0-5 defeat over Australia.
“The team is quite excited to get back on the road” - Harmanpreet Singh
Nevertheless, the skipper is confident of the team coming out all guns blazing in the forthcoming challenging outing. The Indian players were part of the intensive training sessions before moving to Belgium.
“The team is quite excited to get back on the road again for yet another challenging outing where we will take on world’s best teams in the Pro League. We will be travelling on the back of a very intense training camp over the past few weeks where we focused on our conditioning and played intra-squad matches regularly,” he added.
“The team is shaping well and the Pro League is an important event for us to iron out the flaws in our execution ahead of the Olympics,” he stated.
Furthermore, Harmanpreet Singh hopes that after securing third position in the past few seasons, the team will be able to clinch the FIH Pro League 2023-24 title.
“In the past few seasons of the Pro League, we have finished at third position. It will be great to finish on top this time and we are quite optimistic about it,” he said.
Notably, India, the Asian Games champions and Tokyo Olympics 2021 bronze medallists are placed in a challenging Pool B in the men’s hockey competition at the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024.