Hockey: India skipper Manpreet Singh eager to get back on the pitch after missing out on Europe trip
Singh believes that the upcoming Argentina trip will be crucial for the youngsters to prove their mettle
The Indian hockey team have left for Buenos Aires, Argentina, to play two matches against the Albicelestes in the FIH Pro League on April 11 and 12.
This will be the second trip for Graham Reid's men in 2021 after an unbeaten Europe trip where they locked horns against Germany and Great Britain.
The South American trip will also include four successive practice matches in the run-up to the two Pro League games. The trip is crucial for the team as it would provide some invaluable competitive game time against a quality opponent.
Manpreet Singh is set to return to action after missing out on the European trip and the captain is eager to lead his side against a tricky opponent.
"I am very excited to return to the team and I am looking forward to the matches against the Olympic Champions Argentina," Singh stated.
"Not playing competitive hockey for over a year has been a big setback but this is something every team in the world is facing due to the pandemic. Though I missed out the Europe tour due to personal reasons, I was closely following the matches and it was very encouraging to see how the team performed against Germany and Great Britain. We are looking forward to yet another unbeaten tour."
Reid has also named a few youngsters in the squad and the skipper feels that it will be an acid test for them if they want a seat on the flight to Tokyo.
"Quite a few youngsters have been selected in the squad for this tour and I believe this will be a great opportunity for them to show their mettle against a top-quality team. Every opportunity we are getting in these challenging times is like a blessing and we need to make the most of it," he said.
Singh contracted Covid-19 and after recovering from it successfully he is ready to fire on all cylinders.
"It has been a tough year for all of us. I think personally for me, overcoming Covid last year was more of a mental battle than anything else. I was off hockey for nearly six weeks, but I was very fortunate to receive the best care, thanks to the efforts of Hockey India and SAI. Over these past few months, I have put in a lot of hard work to return to my earlier form.
"This tour will not only be a good occasion for the team to assess our performance but also personally for me to understand the areas I need to improve individually too," he concluded.