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Indian men’s hockey team captain Manpreet Singh has opened up about how the team is ready to push for the Gold medal by working on the smallest steps to achieve perfection. Singh then addressed how he and the coach Graham Reid want 'zoom out and zoom in’ during the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham
"We are going for gold. But we know that to do that, we have to achieve the small things first. We reach the final stage only if we take the first step correctly. Our coach Graham Reid speaks about 'zoom out and zoom in'. Zoom out means, looking at what we want to achieve, like the CWG medal, reaching the final,” he said.
“Now to achieve that, we have to first take care of the details. Which is giving everything you have in every match regardless of whether it be your first or second in the tournament,” Manpreet continued.
Manpreet then addressed how the team is far more confident than the team in 2018 and is aiming to win. He said, "Players are far more confident now (compared to Gold Coast 2018). There was a time when we used to get anxious before facing some of the stronger teams but that is not the case now. The players are ready to face anyone and are confident that we can win.”
The 30-year-old also praised the younger members of the team as they are bringing in newer energy. "The youngsters are giving their best. We all know what we need to achieve and where we are going. We know that if we want to win a medal at the Paris Olympics, we have to play well in every tournament before that instead of sitting back thinking that we have already won an Olympic medal," said Manpreet.
India will face Ghana on 29 July in their first game in the CWG 2022. They are part of Pool B with Canada, Wales and England. Addressing the competition, he said, "We are not going to underestimate any team so we will be preparing for Ghana a lot because that is the team we face first. England are certainly a team who can surprise anyone on any given day. We are going there with a mindset to beat every team and give our 100 per cent in every match."