India men's hockey team banking on PR Sreejesh's experience 

India men's hockey team captain Manpreet Singh is banking on the experience of veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, in pursuit of a podium finish at Tokyo 2020, slated to get underway from July 23 2021.

Sreejesh, the lone goalkeeper in the squad, will be making his third appearance at the Olympics in Tokyo 2020. He led the India men's hockey team to the quarter-finals at Rio 2016 and will be one of the vital cogs in the 16-man squad for the upcoming Olympics.

“He (Sreejesh) keeps motivating me…he gives me confidence and also to the team. In fact, we all have the confidence that we have Sreejesh in goal,” Manpreet said during the virtual media interaction on Friday.

10 out of the 16-member squad picked for the India men's hockey team for Tokyo 2020 will be making their debut at the Olympics. Manpreet, however, showed faith in the youngsters and believes that the strikers will play a crucial role.

“Actually, in the last three-to-four years, we have had the same team. The strikers are experienced. They have been doing well, that’s why they have been picked. Our strikers will play an important role and score goals,” Manpreet said.

The ace Indian midfielder also mentioned that his team's preparation for Tokyo 2020 hasn't been dampened despite the postponement of several events owing to the Covid-19 situation.

“Our performances in the last few years have been good. At the beginning of 2020 we were playing well, we beat good teams. Unfortunately, COVID-19 happened, there was a lockdown and we were in Bengaluru.

“We were training (in Bengaluru) and the Olympics got postponed. We decided that we have to take it positively. How to work on our game and keep improving,” Manpreet said.

The World No.4 side will begin their campaign in Tokyo against New Zealand on July 24. The Manpreet-led side have been drawn against reigning Olympic champions Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and hosts Japan in Pool A.