National hockey captain P R Sreejesh vowed that his team will give its all to beat Pakistan in the Asian Champions Trophy in Malaysia next month.
Sreejesh did not mention the recent Uri terror attack which led to heightened tensions between the two countries but said his team would not want to disappoint Indian soldiers by losing against Pakistan in the Asian Champions Trophy to be played at Kuantan in Malaysia between October 20 and 30.
Sreejesh said that Pakistan was currently playing low-grade hockey though they have a special quality of springing a surprise on any given day.
“They are now playing totally a lower-grade hockey. That is what I feel. But they (Pakistan) have a strong mental attitude. They can beat any team anytime. That is their specialty,” Sreejesh said at the Sports Authority of India center where the team has been training.
Fresh and rejuvenated after a brief break following their eighth-place finish in the Rio Olympics, core probables of Indian senior men’s hockey team had returned to the national camp, which started starting here on September 18.
“We are better placed than Pakistan as we have been playing against top teams around the world. Pakistan on the other hand failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in their history,” Sreejesh said.
From Agencies, Feature image courtesy http://hockeyindia.org/
