Harmanpreet Singh says team needs to move on from the loss to Australia in CWG finals
It's "hard to digest" the heartbreaking loss to Australia in the Commonwealth Games championship, "However, the Indian hockey team must move on, according to star drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh. India was humiliated by Australia on Sunday, losing 0-7 in one of its worst games in recent memory.
“It is hard to digest a loss by such a big margin," After arriving in the nation early on Wednesday morning, the India vice-captain made the statement in a release from Hockey India (HI).
“Definitely the entire team is disappointed by the way we played but it’s important we move on from this bitter outing. Like Chief Coach mentioned, we lacked the energy and tempo required to match-up to a team like Australia."
India entered the summit match on the strength of some strong performances in the group stage, defeating Ghana 11-0, drawing with England 4-4, defeating Canada 8-0, defeating Wales 4-1, and defeating South Africa 3-2 before winning the semifinal.
“There are many lessons from this campaign that we can work on and improve upon. Every match we played will be analyzed thoroughly when we return to camp after a two-week break and we will be starting from scratch," said Harmanpreet.
The 26-year-old from Amritsar was second only to Wales' Gareth Furlong in goal scoring with nine goals, displaying outstanding form throughout the competition.
“This was a memorable outing for me personally despite the final not going our way. For the first time after the pandemic, we were playing in front of such a big crowds and many Indian fans had turned up," he said.
“My wife travelled to Birmingham to watch our matches, and this was the first time she was watching me play a big tournament live. This is my first Commonwealth Games medal, so in all it was a special outing for me on a personal note," he said.
Harmanpreet scored eight penalty corners goals and one from a penalty shot, while Furlong scored nine goals from penalty corners. He also scored a hat-trick when India defeated Wales 4-1. With 11 goals, Nicholas Bandurak of England is still the tournament's leading scorer.
India will now get ready for the forthcoming, October-starting FIH Hockey Pro League season 2022/23. India will host games against Spain and New Zealand. On August 29, the team will return to the national training camp in Bengaluru.
