Olympian and ex-captain Jagbir Singh: Self-belief in Indian hockey team very high

India’s away series victory was good preparation for the HWL Finals in Novermber.

It’s the second time that the Indian senior men’s hockey team have chalked up an overseas Test series victory over a higher ranked side. It surely bodes well for the 8th ranked team that held 7th ranked New Zealand 1-1 in the final Test in Christchurch to clinch the four Test series 2-1, following their 3-1 Test series win over world champions Australia last November.

With less than a year to go for the Rio Olympics, there is reason to be feel optimistic about India’s chances in the marquee event. “It’s an impressive Test series win as New Zealand are a quality side. Beating them in their own backyard will be a huge morale-booster for the team for the upcoming battles ahead,” says former India forward Jagbir Singh.

Jagbir, a former Olympian and world-cupper believes the team is gaining much in terms of self-belief. “For years the confidence and self-belief hasn’t been as desired. I think the self-belief is getting better in the team and can get even better with more good results against top-ranked sides.”

The former Indian captain says playing top sides regularly has been a big factor in the team’s marked improvement in recent years. “Look, every team gains when they play top sides at regular intervals. You don’t gain much if you play big teams once or twice in a year or so but playing them on a regular basis really helps as we have seen in this Indian team.”

The test series triumph over New Zealand must bring an extra spring in the strides of the Indians. “The current performance shows that Roelant Oltmans is doing all the right things with the team. I’m sure the boys would get a lot of confidence in the forthcoming Test series against Australia and the Hockey World League Final Round.”

One hopes that the Test series win in New Zealand would serve as a springboard for more glory in future.