Mentally and physically ready for my first match: Mandeep

Indian men’s hockey team striker Mandeep Singh said that the team is mentally and physically ready for their first match against New Zealand in the Olympics on Saturday. Mandeep, who has played more than 150 international matches for India, is one of the experienced players of the team.

Mandeep said, I don’t think there is any pressure on me as I have the support of other players in the team. We have good coordination on the field and can penetrate tough defenses as well.
“The journey so far has been good,” he said. On reaching the airport, the testing and other process took some time but as soon as we reached the sports village, it was amazing.

The forward player said, I think we were living in a bio bubble in the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Bangalore for the last 15-16 months. We have adapted to the covid protocol. We have a test every morning and the result is out by the evening.

“We were allowed to train on the pitch from Monday. We have practice sessions every day and all the players in the team are energized to start their campaign in Tokyo.

Mandeep said, “Our quarantine period ended today after which we were allowed to discuss with other teams. Today we played on the main pitch for the first time and there is no doubt that it is a great stadium. We are looking forward to our first match against New Zealand.