Dusseldorf (Germany): Indian men’s hockey team captain Manpreet Singh said here Wednesday that the past masters of the game are eyeing a top two finish in the upcoming Hockey World League (HWL) Semifinals in London.
But it will be easier said than done as India will have to fight it out against top teams like Argentina, the Netherlands, England, Korea and Malaysia for the top honours.
“While our aim is to finish among the top two in London, it’s important we take it one match at a time and not take any team lightly especially in the pool stage,” said Manpreet, who will lead the side in the absence of regular skipper PR Sreejesh. “Our focus will be on getting off to a winning start and carry on the momentum from there,” he added.
The Indian team will arrive Friday in London where for the HWL Semifinals they have been grouped in Pool B alongside Canada, Scotland, the Netherlands and Pakistan.
“We will play two practice matches against Argentina and England. This will be a good opportunity for us to work on our challenges and focus on areas of improvement identified while playing against Germany and Belgium in the recently-concluded Three Nations tournament here,” Manpreet informed.
“We cannot afford to miss out on goal-scoring chances and we also need to improve our penalty corner conversion rates,” the young skipper added.
India’s game
June 15 vs Scotland
June 17 vs Canada
June 18 vs Pakistan
June 20 vs the Netherlands
