We have to play our best game at the World League: Walsh

The Hero Hockey World League Final is Terry Walsh’s first assignment with India, but the newly-appointed chief coach of the senior men’s team has reposed faith in his wards to put up a good show in the elite eight-nation event to be held here from January 10-18. Walsh, who took the reigns of the Indian men’s hockey team in November from fellow Australian Michael Nobbs, wants the best out of his players in the upcoming event, as, in all likelihood, it is India’s last big-ticket tournament before the World Cup slated to be held at The Hague, Netherlands from 31 May to 15 June. [caption id=“attachment_1321975” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational Image. PTI[/caption] “The boys are confident for the upcoming tournament. This is the final of Hero Hockey World League and is a clash amongst the top eight hockey countries. This in itself is a motivating factor for the entire team and we are looking forward to our game against England next Friday,” Walsh said after a practice session at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. “This is the last big tournament (for India) before the World Cup and hence becomes all the more important that we play our best game during the league,” he added. India captain Sardar Singh said the players are working hard on their grey areas under the coaching staff and cannot wait to take on England in their tournament opener on 10 January. “The World League final will be a completely new tournament and a new experience for this team and we will be beginning from the scratch,” Sardar said. “While the boys are practicing hard, we are even holding regular meetings with the coaches to understand where we lack on the field and analysing this further by watching our videos. Presently we are working on every players positioning and in the process giving huge emphasis on our passes. “The boys are not under any pressure and are looking at their first clash against England,” the mercurial mid-fielder said. PTI