The success of sports persons can be measured by the medals won at the International arena or by the longevity they survive in the top circuit.As such case, History favors Indian hockey team as it has eight gold medal in its cabin. But be like every fallen champion, the Indian Team too had seen some all time lows like wooden spoon finish to not qualify for Olympics
With another Olympics at stake, What makes our team more than a mere contender in RIO? The answer is quite simple, it is their unity and cohesiveness that sets them apart.This team was in the making of four years and whenever the controversies stirred, the team remained unrattled. After Qualifying through Asian games 2014, this team has played nearly 16 International tournament and had an ample time to test their bench strength and various strategies, which they did quite efficiently. This team was riding high on confidence after the successful outing at the champions trophy.
Considering the forward line, the team is gifted with a flashing S.V.Sunil to Akashdeep’s sublime skill scoring and to the quirky Nikkin to the placing Ramandeep. The forward line may not be as dominating as others but when it comes to efficient performing, they will be second to none.
The team relies heavily on the defenders and the midfield masters. With or without captain’s armband, Sardar Singh will always lead the team as senior most figure and he remains the centerpiece around whom the team is built upon. His uncanny ways of finding gaps will be crucial for the forwards. Manpreet Singh and other midfielders will be asked more to defend and track back against the top teams to avoid the last minute conceding of goals(Unsolved puzzle in Indian Hockey) .
The arrival of Harmanpreet eases the pressure on Rupinder and Raghunath at the back and this trio needs to be accurate in the PC Conversion and defending. At the post, Indian hockey wall P.R.Sreejesh is ready to withhold any stones thrown at him.
On the whole, the team looks strong on paper and they can beat any team on their given day. But the prime objective will be qualifying for the quarter-final first and then there to take game by game.
Chak De India
