New Delhi: Post their Bronze Medal win at the 24th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, the Indian Men Hockey team arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the midst of a rousing reception. The team post their back to back wins in the final three matches, bagged the Bronze medal in the all important tourney. Captained by Sardar Singh the team had a slow start to the tournament, but bounced back on time to clinch the 3rd position.
The Bronze is yet another achievement for the team post their Gold medal win in 17th Asian Games, Silver in the XX Commonwealth Games and a series win against the Kookaburra’s in Australia last November.
Congratulating the team Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra, President, Hockey India said, “I am proud of this team. The way they played and bounced back into the tournament to clinch the Bronze is amazing. The highlight was the win against Australia and this I think motivated them for the match against Korea. I congratulate the entire team for the Bronze.”
Speaking on the tournament, Chief Coach Paul van Ass said, “We started with not so good results but our boys recovered in a very well manner. Beating host team Malaysia boosted confidence of our boys and we got positive results from our new strategies and team combinations. As I was coaching Indian team first time in a tournament, they have surprised me with their high-level performance against Australia. It is good to see Team India in the Semi-Final of the tournament and I expect better performance in upcoming competitions.”
Speaking on the performance during the tournament, Captain Sardar Singh said, “Our team started slow in the tournament as we have given opportunities to some young players. But the best part is that these young boys recovered quickly from the early jolts. Though we came under pressure after disappointing results in the first few matches, but maintained same target to give the best in every match and our boys did the same. PR Sreejesh and Nikkin played brilliantly and they have raised their levels in the tournament. This is also our first tournament under Coach Paul van Ass and it was a good experience with him. We tried some new strategies and team combinations, which worked positively. The experience in the tournament will surely help us for our upcoming FIH Hockey World League.”