Bhubaneswar
Consistency will be key for the Indian men’s hockey team when they take on a lower-ranked Spain, while its women counterparts would look to carry on the momentum against same opposition during their respective FIH Pro League campaigns on Saturday.
Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Indian men started their FIH Pro League campaign on a rousing note, beating France 5-0 before being shocked 2-5 by the Frenchmen in the return leg. Against South Africa, India registered identical 10-2 wins in the two matches. Both the ties were played in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
But the result against world no.12 France in the second match of the two-leg tie was far from expectations from India, ranked fifth in the world.
The Indians were caught off guard and napping by the ever-improving Frenchmen in all aspects of the game in the second match, much to the surprise of the eight-time Olympic champions.
The mixed results in opening two Pro League ties in South Africa prompted a sharp response from Indian Olympic Association and FIH President Narinder Batra, who demanded an explanation for the setback and even met Hockey India officials and chief coach Graham Reid after their return to the country.
Considering that the pressure would be high on the coaching staff led by Reid and the players when they take on Spain and any adverse result in the upcoming matches could lead to severe consequences in a busy calendar year that includes Birmingham Commonwealth Games and the Hangzhou Asian Games, a qualifying tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Indians tested two youngsters — dragflicker Sanjay and striker Abhishek — in South Africa but from the duo only the latter could retain his place in the squad named for Spain tie.
Striker Sukhjeet Singh is the new addition to the squad and the youngster would be thriving to make his presence felt on the turf.
