We hope to finish among top four: Rajpal Singh

The countdown has begun and skipper Rajpal Singh and his boys are geared up for the big event.
“Our focus is on the World Cup. There are lot of expectations from us and we hope to finish in the final four,” he said at a function, here on Thursday.

Speaking about the much-hyped tournament opener against Pakistan on February 28, Rajpal told HT, “The pressure will be on Pakistan. We would capitalise on home support.” The other senior players are also banking on crowd support. “The National Stadium is huge and if filled to capacity, can generate an electrifying atmosphere. We are glad that we got almost a month to practice here,” said Prabhjot Singh.
He, however, stopped short of terming the opening match as a pot-boiler. “There is rivalry between the two teams but in a stage as grand as the World Cup, each match is important.”

On Sohail Abbas, Pakistan’s penalty corner specialist, Rajpal said: “Sohail is a player to watch out for but we can counter him and have several strategies in place.” The skipper reiterated faith in the side that boasts of three drag flickers in Dhananjay Mahadik, Sandeep Singh and Diwakar Ram.