India will continue to carry forward momentum into next tournament, says Manpreet Singh

India defeated South Africa and clinched the FIH Series Finals trophy at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar earlier this month. The Indian men also remained unbeaten in the tournament and have made their way into the next round for Olympics qualifications. They will have to play the FIH Olympic Qualifiers matches to be played in October-November in order to book their place in the Tokyo Olympics to be held next year.

Manpreet Singh is of the opinion that the winning momentum from the FIH Series Finals will come in handy for the Indians in their upcoming international matches this year.

“We will continue to carry forward the momentum into the next tournament. We will continue to rectify the mistakes we made in this tournament. We are currently preparing for the final qualifying round which is in November,” Manpreet told PTI.

“There were many positives from the tournament as the team performed collectively as a group and we focused on both aspects of our game. We showed what we are capable of both attacking and defensive play. We were very sound as we did not give many scoring chances to our opponents.”

The FIH Series Finals was also the first major tournament for Graham Reid, the Indian coach who was appointed in April this year. After India started 2019 by playing without a chief coach at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, Reid had taken the Indian boys for a tour to Australia just ahead of the FIH Series Finals. Manpreet has mentioned that Reid has created a friendly environment in the Indian camp.

“The coach has created a friendly environment in the team and he has kept a very simple approach. He is very open about his thought process and is approachable to each and every team member. If any player has any concerns, he is always welcoming,” the captain explained.

“This has also improved the performance of the team on the pitch. The coach has not made any significant changes as of now as he is currently new to the set up. He will be looking to make a few changes during our camp which is scheduled in July.”