Mumbai: Impressed by the good start of the Indian team in the ongoing men’s hockey World Cup in Bhubaneshwar, former captain Sardar Singh Thursday said the team needs to keep the momentum going and play as a collective unit.
“The start has been good. In the tournament, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Argentina and Australia are some of the best teams. We have started off well and need to keep the momentum going and continue with same energy,” Sardar said.
He was speaking to reporters here on the sidelines of a promotional event of preventive healthcare firm, GOQii with whom he has signed up.
India began their campaign by thrashing South Africa 5-0 and then drew 2-2 with against a strong Belgium side in Group C.
The P R Sreejesh-led team is inching closer to a quarter-final berth with a game in hand against Canada, the fourth team in the group, on Saturday. Sardar, who retired from the game prior to the mega event, wants the Indian squad to play as a cohesive unit once they make the quarter-finals and not just depend on two-three players.
“‘Tournaments like World Cup or Olympics come once in four years, so we have been preparing for this for a long. They (the players) know the value of such matches and how every second counts. They will not come back. Our main match will be the quarter-finals. And on that day, it will not just be about – (PR) Sreejesh, Manpreet (Singh) we need to play as a complete unit and play to the potential.”
“Only energy (performances)by two or three players won’t help (in the quarter-final). The four quarters that we have (in the match), we have to fully concentrate in the quarters. If we play that well, we can make it count,” said Sardar who, in his prime, was among the finest half backs in world hockey.
Sardar also praised current team coach Harendra Singh as one of the best in the business. “Like now we have Harendra, who is one of the best coaches. Over the last 10 years he has grown immensely (as a coach). When he was with the women’s team and junior team, he had tasted success,” recalled Sardar.
There were talks in some quarters that the vastly experienced Sreejesh, who is the team’s number one goalkeeper, has become a bit slow, but Sardar brushed them aside and said the Indian captain was one of the best in the world.
“If we see the Champions Trophy, Sreejesh got the player of the tournament. He is one of the best in the world. Experience matters a lot,” he pointed out.
On the personal front, Sardar informed that he was mulling opening an academy in Haryana. “I am thinking of setting up an academy in Haryana. Talks are on, let’s see how it goes. I plan to play in Europe for the next couple of years,” he signed off.