Bhubaneswar: The Indian men’s team pulled off a thrilling victory against Argentina in the FIH Hockey Pro League at the Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. After going down in the first-leg of their contest against Argentina on Saturday, the Indian team bounced back with a 4-3 win in the second leg through goals from Hardik Singh (17′), Jugraj Singh (20′, 52′) and Mandeep Singh (60′).
Speaking about the Indian team’s victory, chief coach Graham Reid said, “The positive that has come out of the game is the mentality of never giving up and making sure that we continue to fight until the very last minute and last second. This win is a confidence booster as even if we are down, we know that we can make a comeback. It’s a nice thing to have in our armory but I don’t want to keep relying on it.”
The chief coach added that the matches against Argentina will be a good learning experience for the youngsters, “We had our chances to put the game away and finish it early on, but we will learn from that. We had a couple of younger guys who were playing, so it was a good learning experience for them. And it is always good to win in that situation as it helps with the character.”
Amit Rohidas, who was the captain of the Indian team for the FIH Hockey Pro League against Argentina, was happy with his team’s performance, “It was a top game, really challenging. We didn’t give up till the last minute and played well. We scored good goals, Jugraj really did well and Mandeep’s last touch, in the end, was really good.”
The defender was also proud to record his first victory as captain of the Indian team, “This was my first win as captain and It’s a proud moment for me and for the entire team as well. I would like to thank my team and coaching staff for showing faith in me and giving me this wonderful opportunity.”
(IANS)
