Raipur: The Indian Men’s Hockey Team today finished their first practice session ahead of the much awaited Hero Hockey World League Final 2015. The tournament slated from 27th November – 6th December 2015 is the biggest global hockey event for the calendar year, and will be played at the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel International Stadium 2015.
The Indian team who lost the three match series to Australia earlier this week, seemed hopeful of a giving a good show at the tournament starting day after. “We are taking one match at a time. The India - Australia series is over and now it’s the past. We have moved on from there and now all our efforts are focused on giving a good performance at the Hero Hockey World League. The good news is that all our players are fit and there is no injury in the team, which just gives us a lot of confidence ahead of our first encounter,” said Director High Performance and Chief Coach Indian Men Team, Roelant Oltmans.
“It’s been a good preparation for us at the Australia series, and we have warmed up to take on the best at the Hero Hockey World League Final. The whole team wants to see the best results but we also know that every game is different and results cannot be predicted, hence our efforts are to work as a collective unit so that we peak at the right time. All the eight teams will be playing in the quarter finals and no team is an easy team and we are preparing accordingly, as we know that we are up to face the best 7 teams in the world, “said VR Raghunath, Defender, Indian Men’s Hockey Team.
India face Argentina in their first encounter on 27th November just after the grand opening ceremony showcasing the Chhattisgarh folk culture. The opening ceremony which would include cultural performances from folk artists from Chhattisgarh will begin at 1700 hrs (IST) and will be presided over by Dr Raman Singh, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Chhattisgarh and Mr. Balramji Dass Tandon, Governor of Chhattisgarh. The opening ceremony will be followed by India facing 5th ranked Argentina.
NMDC ltd is the Principal Partner while SECL/CIL and NTPC are the Official Partners for the Hero Hockey World League Final 2015.
About Hero Hockey World League
Hero Hockey World League is a fast-paced and action-packed tournament comprising of four rounds played over a period of two years. The tournament doubles up as the qualifying event for the World Cup and Olympics, hence allows participating country’s gain FIH world ranking points too. Open to all members of FIH the Hockey World League gives every hockey playing nation a unique opportunity to compete with the best in the world and write their own story. The Final round is an 8 team event, for both the men’s and women’s teams. This year the men’s final is being hosted by India from 27th Nov – 6th Dec 2015 and the women’s final will be played at Rosario, Argentina from the 5th – 13thDecember 2015.
