New Delhi: Two-time World Cup-winning Australian hockey player, Fergus Kavanagh has been roped in to conduct a seven-day camp with Indian defenders at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bangalore. The camp, which started Monday, will end n July 14.
Kavanagh was part of the Australian dream team that won the 2010 World Cup in New Delhi and the 2014 World Cup in The Hague. Besides, he also won the gold medal at consecutive FIH Champions Trophy from 2008 to 2012 and was a member of the Australian team which triumphed in the 2014 edition of the tournament in Bhubaneswar.
Kavanagh will be working closely with 14 Indian defenders identified by Hockey India (HI).
“As a group we are really looking forward to this camp as we get to address some of the ongoing focus points we have identified over the last few months. One of these is of improving our defensive capabilities and we have been lucky to secure the services of former Kookaburra great Fergus Kavanagh,” said India’s chief coach Graham Reid while speaking on the initiative.
“The first week we will be focusing on all aspects of our defence using the unique experience of Fergus’ last 10 years with Australia and more recently with Amsterdam in the Netherlands,” Reid added.
Reid further said that India’s focus during the last FIH Series Final in Bhubaneswar was on ‘collective defensive mindset’.
The defenders who will be working with Kavanagh are: Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, Birendra Lakra, Kothajit Singh Khadangbam, Surendra Kumar, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Jarmanpreet Singh, Gurinder Singh, Amit Rohidas, Rupinder Pal Singh, Mandeep Mor, Pratap Lakra, Suman Beck and Parampreet Singh.
PTI
