Volvo U21 invitational: Indian hockey juniors face Belgium

India hockey junior team will face Belgium

Breda (The Netherlands), July 20 (IANS)

After two consecutive wins, India will look to continuing the good work when they face Belgium in a league match of the Volvo International Under-21 hockey tournament here on Tuesday.

Playing a quick counter-attacking game, the Indian colts secured wins over Germany (3-0) and New Zealand (3-0) in their first two matches. Riding on drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh's brilliant form, the midfielder Harjeet Singh-led team is confident of extending its winning run.

“We are very happy with our performance till now and winning against Germany and New Zealand is really an inspiring factor for our team and we will take this confidence to our next match,” Harjeet said in a release on Monday.

“We have seen Belgium team's matches and they are very good in a few areas. They have some good players and we have to restrict their moves. The players are confident and we will play for the win tomorrow.”

Belgium stunned home team the Netherlands with a 3-3 draw in their previous match. The European team comprises of some talented players and the Indians will again have to raise their game.

“We need to work on a few areas”

India coach Harendra Singh said even though his wards have performed well, he wants them to further sharpen their game.

“We are satisfied with our efforts and results of the team till now. The boys are playing very well and implementing strategies in a good manner,” Harendra, who guided Ranchi Rays to Hockey India League (HIL) title this year, said.

“But we still need to work on few areas and improve our game for the upcoming matches. We can't take any team lightly and we will play against Belgium with the same intensity as we have in the previous matches.

“We would like to continue our winning streak and boys are ready for the next battle.”