India hockey team forward Gurjant Singh: Focusing on physical strength to withstand Tokyo heat
The Indian team is currently training at SAI facilities in Bengaluru
The Indian men's hockey team has been training in a bio-bubble at the SAI (Sports Authority of India) in Bengaluru for almost a year. This meant that the team has remained together for several months which has helped them understand each other much better.
Gurjant Singh, one of the more experienced players of the squad, feels that team bonding was one of the primary reasons for their brilliant performance in Europe and Argentina.
"We all have been together at the camp since one year, and I don't think any other team would have spent this much amount of time together during the lockdown. I feel that is one of the plus points that everyone has been together for such a long time," said Gurjant, who got an opportunity to play for India on their recent tours.
"We all had that hunger to perform, to put in all our preparations at test, especially against a quality side like Argentina. We were really excited to be back. We were in a fresh frame of mind, and I feel that really helped us in gaining momentum on the tours."
The foreign trips allowed Graham Reid to understand the condition of his team after a long break. The competitive minutes against hockey powerhouses like Germany, Argentina, and Great Britain have helped them gauge their strengths and weaknesses before flying to Tokyo.
"It's a plus point that we got a chance to play against Germany, Great Britain and Argentina at this crucial juncture. We not only got to know about our strengths and weaknesses but also about theirs. We got to know about their style of play. Hence, I feel this experience will really help us compete against them at the Olympics," said the 26-year old.
In July, the temperature soars in Japan so the team is also practicing in hot weather conditions to get used to the heat.
"We are currently working on our physical strength. We are making ourselves physically strong and getting used to the hot weather conditions. Since it will be the summer season in Japan during the Olympics, we are getting used to the heat. So, we are taking advantage of our current weather conditions. Moreover, as we get closer to the Olympics, we will shift our focus to the technical aspects of the game," said Gurjant.
India have not finished on the podium in hockey since 1980 but Gurjant feels things can change this time as they are preparing in the best possible manner.
"We are really in a fresh frame of mind, and we have been working hard together. It's the dream of every athlete to represent his or her nation at the Olympics. And, it is the biggest and only reason why every one of us is here. We are lucky enough that we are getting a proper setting here (at the camp) to train and prepare ourselves for the Olympics," he concluded.