The countdown of the India vs Germany Semi Final at the Paris Olympics 2024 has begun, Hockey Punjab President, Nitin Kohli on Tuesday expressed his belief that the 'boys in blue' will do well at the historic match. Nitin Kohli expressed his belief in the Indian Hockey Team's bench strength and stated that Amit Rohidas' absence during the INDvsGER Paris Olympics semi-final match won't hurt the morale of the Men In Blue. Notably, 10 out of 16 athletes of the Indian Hockey Team are from Punjab and they all are representing the nation at Paris Olympics 2024. If the Harmanpreet Singh-led hockey team defeats World Number 2 Germany in the semi-final, it will be after 44 years that the Men In Blue will qualify for the Olympics hockey final. Ahead of the India vs Germany Paris Olympics 2024 Semi semi-final match, True Scoop exclusively talked to Nitin Kohli, Hockey Punjab President. Below is an excerpt of the interview-
1) Will the absence of one player impact the Indian Hockey Team's morale?
Nitin Kohli said, "In the quarter-final, we won despite being short of a player. Therefore, I don't think it will impact much. We have a good bench strength. The team is confident and the boys will do well."
For the unversed, experienced defender Amit Rohidas will not be a part of the Indian team in the semi-finals. He has been banned for one match. Amit is the world's number-3 first rusher. He was shown a red card against Great Britain in the quarter-final match. Before the card, Rohidas had saved 2 penalty corners.
2) Is there any particular factor why the Indian Hockey Team is performing well at the Paris Olympics 2024?
Nitin Kohli said, "Hockey is not an individual but a team sport. Their passing is brilliant. Harmanpreet Singh is performing so well in almost every match. As a team they are doing very well and hopefully if the almighty blesses we will qualify for the finals."
Under the leadership of Harmanpreet Singh, the team looks united and is moving towards gold. Harmanpreet has scored 7 goals so far. Out of these, 4 goals have come from penalty corners, while 3 goals have come from penalty strokes. Harman is an expert in scoring goals on penalties. He is one of the top drag flickers in the world. Harman had put India ahead by scoring a goal in the penalty shootout against Great Britain.
3) How Punjab is turning out to be a factory of hockey players for India?
Responding to it, Nitin Kohli said, "Punjabi players are generally mentally and physically strong. Hockey is more of a mental game. If you see previous records, in almost every Indian hockey team, 6 to 10 players are generally from Punjab. There was a time when almost 14 players were from Punjab in Indian Hockey Team. The promotion of hockey is very good in Punjab. In the same way, Hockey India is also promoting. In the coming days, I hope more people opt for hockey as a sport."
Finally, Nitin Kohli extended his best wishes to Harmanpreet Singh & Co and said laughingly, "For today's match, let us all pray that India wins in the Semi-final, then we will all go to see the Olympics final together."