Eindhoven
The India A men’s hockey team began their Europe tour in a strong way, beating Ireland 6-1 at Hockey Club Oranje-Rood. The Indian team played very well in all four quarters and showed great teamwork.
Uttam Singh scored the first goal, giving India an early lead. Amandeep Lakra then scored another goal to make the score 2-0. Aditya Lalage impressed everyone by scoring two back-to-back goals. Later, Selvam Karthi and Boby Singh Dhami also scored one goal each.
Ireland could only score one goal, which was just a consolation. India’s defense stayed solid and did not allow Ireland to make a comeback.
India will play against Ireland again and will aim for another win to keep their momentum going. After this, India will play matches against France, England, Belgium, and the Netherlands over the next two weeks.
The main goal of this tour is to test young players and prepare them for the senior national team. Hockey India wants to build a stronger group of players and give them international experience.
Team captain Sanjay said before the tour that this is a good chance to know the team’s strengths and weaknesses. He believes that mixing young and experienced players will help in making the main team stronger in the future. This tour is seen as an important step in building a strong bench and getting players ready for big tournaments.