Experience of Argentina tour will make me a better player, says forward Shamsher Singh

Bengaluru: Indian men’s hockey team forward Shamsher Singh believes the recent tour of Argentina has given him a chance to test his skills against the best and the exposure will only make him a better player. The 23-year-old was part of the Indian team that defeated Olympic champions Argentina twice in the FIH Pro League earlier this month. “One can practice a lot during training sessions, but a player’s actual ability can be judged only during matches and therefore I was delighted to play in a big tournament like the FIH Hockey Pro League,” Singh said in a release issued by Hockey India. “To be among the best, we have to constantly test ourselves against the best and I was very happy with the way I performed in the FIH Hockey Pro League matches against Argentina.” India won the first match via a penalty shoot-out, before thumping the hosts 3-0 win in the second game of the two-leg FIH pro league. “The matches certainly gave me a good idea about the level at which a hockey athlete plays in a big tournament. “The competition certainly gave me great exposure and I am sure the experience will help me become a much better player for India.” Shamsher said the performances put in by the youngsters augurs well for the national side. “The best part about our team is that there is a good mix of experience and youth in our side,” he said. “The experienced players have been performing consistently for many years and therefore the brilliant contributions made by youngsters, such as Rajkumar Pal and Vivek Sagar Prasad, in the tour of Argentina has increased the confidence and the belief in our side tremendously. “We just have to keep fine-tuning our game and hit our peak by the time we travel for the Olympics,” said the Forward. Shamsher said he has thought about a few aspects of his game on which he needs to improve. “One has to keep improving with every training session and that’s what I look to do. I have thought about a few techniques which I need to work on, and I am working on them one by one at the SAI campus.”