Terry Walsh: "Indian hockey team's objective is to finish in top 8 at World Cup"

Indian men’s hockey team coach Terry Walsh is confident of his side finishing among the top 8 in the FIH Hockey World Cup this year.

The mega event is scheduled to be held in the Netherlands between May 31 and June 15 and Walsh has high hopes for his team while also stating that anything higher than eighth would serve as an added incentive.

“The World Cup is the second most important event after the Olympic Games. So every team is going to be prepared. Our objective is to finish in the top 8 and should we finish higher than that it will be a big bonus,” said Walsh.

“But I think by the end of the year, by the time we get to the Champions Trophy we should be shooting for a top 6 position in the world. I think that’s very realistic,” he added.

The Australian also stated the importance of having a good start in the World Cup and believes that an initial boost is required for a team like India to do well in such a massive tournament.

“More importantly, we will strive to improve the level of our performance at the international stage. Anything can happen at the World Cup, we could end up with a very outstanding performance.”

“I think the first few games will be really critical. In this World Cup I believe the first game against Belgium will be extremely crucial in deciding our final outcome,” he said.