fantastic odds for men against lower ranked New Zealand; Women prepare for tough Dutch test in opening game

The men will strive to relive a glorious past, while the women will strive to make their own history as the two Indian hockey teams kick off their Olympic campaign here on Saturday with the expectations of the two highest caliber teams.

The men will meet New Zealand in eighth place, followed by the women’s match with the Netherlands. Indian men’s hockey has a rich history at the Summer Games, having won up to eight gold medals in the past, most recently at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.

A recession followed, but fortunes have resurfaced in recent years. With the current world ranking of four, the Indians stand a great chance to win a medal this time in Tokyo.

But that’s easier said than done, as India finds itself in a difficult first group alongside Olympic champion Argentina, Australia, host countries, Japan, New Zealand. Zealand and Spain.

The second group includes the world champions Belgium, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and South Africa. The top four teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals. In the current format and roster the Indians are sure to start as candidates against New Zealand, after the Rio 2016 Olympics the team led by Manpreet Singh have beaten the black sticks eight times out of 11 clashes between the two. parts.

The Indians have also scored 34 goals against 14 for their opponents in those games. India’s last victory over New Zealand was at the same location here in 2019 in the FIH Test event, where they won 5-0 in the final. But India head coach Graham Reed has told his men to be on their guard and play match after match to secure a podium here. “New Zealand are a very good team and I have a lot of respect for the way they play. They are very strong mentally and never give up, “Reed said on the eve of their campaign opening. This situation makes them a dangerous opponent.

“They have a very skilled offensive line and frankly, at the Olympics, the standings don’t really matter. It will therefore be important for us to get off to a good start on Saturday. “The coach said he spent a lot of time on the pitch after arriving here and his wings were well prepared for the game.” Editorial. “When you get to a new location, I always make sure that we get to know the surface and do some test drills. Often times things like shots on goal and rebounds on grass are very important, because overheads also play a big role in games these days. “We have been through the intricacies of the country for the last three or four days in the village and in training sessions,” Indian captain Manpreet warned. Singh, the country’s flag bearer alongside boxing legend MC Mary Kom, at the opening ceremony on Friday Against Complacency.

New Zealand is led by veteran Blair Tarrant, who has 217 caps to his name. “It’s a team to be wary of. We have to stick to our basics, make sure that our plans are executed correctly and that we don’t feel complacent at any point in the game. ”Visited India for the FIH Men’s World Cup in Bhubaneswar, the hosts have won many wins (4-0, 3-1, 4-2) against their opponents but lost 2-3 in the crucial Gold Coast Commonwealth Games semi-final. After a mediocre eighth place at the Rio Games, many are expected from Manpreet. For the women’s team, this is the second edition of the Olympic Games in a row and there is a tough opening game for the world-ranked Netherlands in their Group A match. debuting at the Rio Olympics for the first time in 36 years, the Indian women’s team went from strength to A-force, winning the 2016 AFC Champions Cup, 2017 AFC Asian Cup , the silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games and reach the final of the 2018 Women’s World Cup for the first time in history.

After the Netherlands, the Indians will play in the group stage against Germany (July 26), Great Britain (July 28), Ireland (July 30) and South Africa (July 31). Indian hockey team president Marin Churd said the group is very confident but does not want to go far in the competition. “This team has played well against the best teams in the recent past, so confidence in the squad is high. We will play game by game and try to improve with each game. The players were eager to step onto the pitch after all of the hard work over the past five years. “We’ve worked hard on this tournament for the past five years and can’t wait for it to start. We are very confident in our chances in this competition. “PTI SSC PM PM”

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