Gurjant Singh, a forward player for the Indian men's hockey team who has played 47 games for the country, believes that the amount of time the team has spent together at the national camp has created a natural understanding among the players.
Gurjant, who has had the opportunity to play for India on recent tours, believes that the Indian Hockey team has been performing as a unit, and that this is one of the main reasons for Europe's and Argentina's success.
"We've all been at camp for a year, and I don't think any other team would have spent as much time together during the lockdown as we did. I believe that one of the advantages is that everyone has known each other for a long time. We never stopped practising after the nationwide lockdown ended "In a statement released by Hockey India, Gurjant said.
"Throughout our time together, we continued to work hard and communicate with one another. I believe it has nurtured a natural understanding among us, and as a result, the team has been able to function as a unit. That is, in reality, one of the most important reasons for our successful tours to Europe and Argentina "He went on to say .
The 26-year-old striker went on to say, "We were all hungry to play, to put all of our preparations to the test, particularly against such a strong team as Argentina. So, yes, we were ecstatic to be back. We were in a positive frame of mind, which I believe helped us build momentum on the tours.”
The Amritsar player believes that the recent tours will prepare the World No. 5 teams to compete against strong teams at the Olympics.
"It's an advantage that we've had the opportunity to play against Germany, the United Kingdom, and Argentina at this critical moment. Not only did we learn about our own strengths and weaknesses, but we also learned about theirs. We learned about their playing style. As a result, I believe that this experience will greatly aid us in competing against them at the Olympics "Gurjant said.
The striker, who is currently training at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Bangalorewith the men's senior core group, said the team is currently focusing on their physical ability.
"Right now, we're focusing on improving our physical ability. We're building up our physical strength and getting used to the hot weather. We're getting used to the hot summer season in Japan during the Olympics. As a result, we're taking advantage of the current weather. Furthermore, as the Olympics approach, we will turn our attention to the technical aspects of the sport.
"We are really in a fresh state of mind, and we have been working hard together," Gurjant said of the Olympics preparations. Every athlete's dream is to represent his or her country at the Olympics. And it is the most important and sole reason for each of us to be here. We're fortunate in that we're having a proper training and preparation environment here (at the camp).