Carrying the mantle of Olympic bronze medallists has added some pressure” as India begin its campaign in the 2021-22 FIH Pro League Hockey with a match against France here on Tuesday.
The tournament will be the Indian team’s first competitive assignment of the year. After France, the Manpreet Singh-led side will face host South Africa on Wednesday.
Speaking about whether the Olympic medallist tag adds any pressure on his wards, chief coach Graham Reid said, “Realistically, yes, it does add some pressure, but I don’t think it is more than the pressure we put on ourselves to perform well.
“Whenever a team does well at a big event like the Olympics, I think other teams take note of that and there is a target on you. It does add extra pressure, but I think the good part about that is that we tend to play our best when we are in such situations.”
World No. 3 India will fancy its chances against both opponents. India hasn’t played World No. 13 France since winning the world league 2015 semifinals.
Asked how the team has settled ahead of the upcoming matches, Reid said, “It’s great to be in South Africa. We haven’t often had the chance to play here at such a high level of competition, so we view this as a great opportunity.”
Exciting atmosphere
Captain Manpreet echoed the coach’s sentiments ahead of the game and said that the atmosphere in the team's dressing room is one of excitement.
“The players are excited to get back on the field since the Asian Champions Trophy towards the end of last year. We want to play well and settle into a good rhythm in the beginning of this year, because 2022 is a big year with the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games lined up.”
India will again play France on Feb. 12 before concluding the tour with the second match against South Africa on Feb. 13.
