Bangalore: Back in the national camp after a four-week break since the Rio Olympics, an upbeat Indian men’s hockey team have now shifted focus to the new season which starts with the Asian Champions Trophy in Malaysia next month where they will meet arch rivals Pakistan.
“The mood is very good and the players have moved on from their quarterfinal loss against Belgium,” said Roelant Oltmans, chief coach. “They (players) don’t have bitter feelings about the Olympics because now they know they are on par with top teams in the world. They are often complimented by hockey lovers across the globe for their show at Rio. We though, are disappointed with the result.
The selection trials to pick the team for Asian Champions Trophy and Australia Tour will be conducted Friday here. Before that the players will also be put through a rigorous fitness test.
“For the senior team they have a busy schedule with the Asian Champions Trophy and Australia Tour then the HIL, The juniors will play in the Australian Hockey League, Spain 4-Nations tournament and then the Junior Men’s World Cup in Lucknow in December,” informed Oltmans.
“It’s only in March that we will look at having a strong pool of probables which will have quite a few junior players who can be potential players for the 2020 Olympics and even the 2018 World Cup,” he added.
Oltmans informed that in the month-long camp special emphasis will be laid on attacking variants. “We will concentrate on developing attacking variations from the midfield and the forwards,” informed Oltmans. “We need to create a consistent aggressive flow of hockey.”
Press Trust of India
