Paris, July 26 (Agency) Indian men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh exuded confidence ahead of their campaign opener on Saturday against New Zealand here at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. After arriving in Europe a little over two weeks ago, the Indian team has undergone a three-day mental conditioning camp in Switzerland and played intensive practice matches against Malaysia, Netherlands, Germany and Great Britain in the days leading up to their first match in Pool B here. Along with reigning Olympic champions Belgium, Argentina, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, India should get off to a good start, believes ace dragflicker Harmanpreet Singh. “We had some really good practice matches before we arrived in Paris and the experience as a unit in Switzerland was something unique, nothing compared to what we have done in the past.

“We are in a good position mentally and physically to start our campaign,” the captain said. “The atmosphere here at the Games Village is extremely good. Meeting athletes from our Indian contingent and seeing the support we have within our own contingent is quite overwhelming and this motivates us all the more to do well,” Harmanpreet added. Talking specifically about New Zealand, they have been a tough opponent for India – and memories of their 3-3 (4-5 SO) at the World Cup in Bhubaneswar last year are a reminder not to get complacent against this opponent. “We have always seen New Zealand as a tough opponent and have discussed this team extensively during our team briefings. It is good to be reminded of the World Cup match against them, so we know that we cannot lose momentum at any point in the match. It is important for us to start well and keep the pressure up throughout the match,” he opined.

Adding to Harmanpreet’s view, vice-captain Hardik Singh said, “The moment we have been waiting for has finally arrived and the team is super excited. Of course, there is some nervousness and that is always good before a big match.” “We have learnt to deal with the pressure of an event like the Olympics, we are here on a mission to change the colour of our medal and yes, we are in a tough pool of teams and they are serious contenders for a medal in Paris but on a good day we have proven that we are better than the rest and that is the mentality we are taking into this tournament,” he concluded. India will take on New Zealand at 9 pm IST on July 27 in their first match of Pool B. The matches will be televised live on Sports18 and JioCinema.