Indian hockey player Gurjant Singh said that it would be important for the Indian hockey team to perform consistently against the top teams of the world before the Olympic Games in Tokyo. India started their campaign in the FIH Pro League brilliantly by beating the Netherlands in both matches last month. Gurjant said that such a performance in the Olympic year has boosted the morale of the team.
Gurjant said, 'This is a very important time for us. Every match is important to us. We are playing in unison with the best combination. Our priority is to consistently perform well. Only Olympic is on the mind of every player in the team and keeping this in mind, we are working towards doing well in the tournament'. The world number five Indian team has to face a tough challenge against Belgium on Saturday and Sunday here. Gurjant said, 'All FIH Hockey Pro League matches will help us prepare for the Olympics. All the top teams in the world are playing in this tournament. Now the Indian team is doing well. We beat the Netherlands last month, which is currently third in the rankings. Therefore, the morale of the team has increased a lot at this time.'
World champion Belgium team captain Thomas Briles says he could face a tough challenge from the host India. Briles said that Belgium is well aware that it will not be easy to defeat India. Belgium leads the way with 11 points, beating Australia and New Zealand. India is at fifth place with five points from two matches.
