Men’s team to resume hockey with Europe tour

NEW DELHI: The Indian men’s hockey team will ramp up its Olympic preparations with tours of Germany and Belgium this month, its first international sojourn since the Covid-19 halted sporting activities across the world last March. A core group of 22 players and six support staff will leave from Bengaluru for Krefeld, Germany on Sunday, where they will play the home team on Feb 28 and March 2.

The Indians will then travel to Antwerp, Belgium, where they are scheduled to play against Great Britain on March 6 and 8.

The Indian team will be captained by goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, while drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh has been named as his deputy for the 17-day tour.

The men’s team last participated in an international competition in February last year when they played the FIH Hockey Pro League matches against Australia in Bhubaneswar. By virtue of its good performances against Australia, the Indian team had climbed to fourth in the FIH rankings, the country’s highest till date.

The team has been camping at Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) campus in Bengaluru since the players joined back training in January.

The Indian women’s team resumed international hockey when it toured Argentina last month. The junior women’s team had also travelled to Chile as part of exposure tours ahead of key events such as the Olympic Games and Junior World Cup later this year.

“We are very grateful for the opportunity to go to Europe, and we are looking forward to having our first competitive matches in just over 12 months,” Indian men’s team chief coach Graham Reid said.

“Playing against powerhouse teams like Germany and Britain will provide us with great competition and help immensely in our FIH Hockey Pro League and Olympic Games preparation. Playing any top 10 ranked team is always a great experience for the team.”