Need to play consistently against defensive Spain: Indian men's hockey captain Harmanpreet
Nov 05, 2022
Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], November 5 : Indian men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh said that his side will have to play consistently across all four quarters against Spain, who can slow their opponent's game down with their defensive style.
After a sensational 7-4 win against New Zealand on Friday, Indian Men's Hockey Team look to finish the double-header against Spain in style when they take on Marc Miralles-Captained side on Sunday in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2022-2023 at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Bhubaneswar.
Having conceded two early goals, the Indian Team roared back in style, handing New Zealand a 7-4 defeat with goals from Captain Harmanpreet Singh (7', 19'), Karthi Selvam (17', 38'), Raj Kumar Pal (31'), Sukhjeet Singh (50') and Jugraj Singh (53') while the New Zealanders had Simon Child (2'), Sam Lane (9'), Jake Smith (14') and Nic Woods (54') on the scoresheet.
"Playing consistently all through the four quarters was our main goal. (against NZ). We will need to play the same way against Spain who play defensive hockey compared to New Zealand and they can slow our game down," said Harmanpreet in a press release by Hockey India.
"But we should just stick to our plans. We will watch how they play against New Zealand today and come up with a strategy for Sunday," he concluded.
Riding on their 3-2 win last weekend, Spain will pose a stiff challenge against India in the second leg of the double header game. But Harmanpreet believes if the team can carry forward the momentum from the match against New Zealand where they did not drop the tempo at any moment, they can convert a win against Spain.
"Despite conceding early goals, our focus to stick to our game plan and surge ahead worked. I think every player played to his potential against New Zealand which ensured this result," Captain Harmanpreet had stated after the match against New Zealand.
With the big result on Friday, Indian Men's Hockey Team are now placed on top of the pool standings with six points.
