Hindustan Times: No medals because of lack of experience: Ramandeep Singh

By Shruti Tomar

Rio Olympics hockey player Ramandeep Singh feels that the Indian hockey team missed the medal in the Olympics because of lack of experience and hard luck.

The 24-year-old forward player, who came here to represent Punjab and Sindh Bank at the Obaidullah Khan Heritage hockey Cup, told HT that Argentina and Belgium, who won medals, are 10-year-old teams and the Indian team was just three years old.

“After playing for ten years with the same players in a team, they were able to perform well. But in our team, almost all the players are new and young,” he said.

Singh said in hockey, experience mattered. “In the presence of senior players, we get chances to improve our skills, performance and also judgment.”

However, Singh is hopeful of winning a medal in the next Olympics if the team remains the same.

The performance of Indian hockey team has improved in the past two years, he said.

Singh said for the upcoming Asian Championship in Malaysia, the team was working on its weaknesses like lifting skills and goal scoring skills.

“The team also needs to work on its decision-making because in the match against Belgium and Netherland, our chances were bright but the last minute decisions shattered the dream,” Singh said.