2021 Tokyo Olympics | Very determined to make it to the Indian Olympic squad, states Birendra Lakra

The Indian Men's Hockey Team Defender Birendra Lakra, who has been part of many memorable moments with the national side, expressed that he is very determined to make it to the Indian squad for the Olympics. Lakra, who has played 196 matches for the Indian team, missed out on the Rio Olympics due to a knee injury and therefore he is very keen on making it to the final team list for the Tokyo Olympics.

"Even though I am one of the most experienced players on the Indian side, my place in the team is not guaranteed. There is a lot of competition for each of the positions and that is what keeps all of us on our toes. Everyone is determined to play and perform for India and therefore all of us make sure that we are giving everything we have during every practice session. Apart from skill development, we also make sure that we are giving enough attention to our fitness regimes as well," said Lakra.

"The tour of Argentina has given us a lot of confidence in our abilities. We played very well as a unit, and we took away a lot of positives from that tour. We noted down a few things that we need to work on post the tour and we are currently working on each of them at SAI. By the time the Olympics start, I think we will be fully prepared to play at our best," said the Defender.