The Indian men's hockey team forward Shamsher Singh, who got an opportunity to play for the Indian team in their recent tour of Argentina, expressed that he was delighted to receive a chance to perform for the team in the FIH Hockey Pro League matches against Argentina.
"One can practice a lot during training sessions, but a player's actual ability can be judged only while matches and therefore I was delighted to play in a big tournament like the FIH Hockey Pro League. To be among the best, we have to constantly test ourselves against the best and I was very happy with the way I performed in the FIH Hockey Pro League matches against Argentina. The matches certainly gave me a good idea about the level at which a hockey athlete plays in a big tournament. The competition certainly gave me great exposure and I am sure the experience will help me become a much better player for India," said the 23-year-old in an official Hockey India release.
Shamsher added that the performances put in by the youngsters in India's tour of Argentina augurs well for the national side.
"The best part about our team is that there is a good mix of experience and youth in our side. The experienced players have been performing consistently for many years and therefore the brilliant contributions made by youngsters, such as Rajkumar Pal and Vivek Sagar Prasad, in the tour of Argentina has increased the confidence and the belief in our side tremendously. We just have to keep fine-tuning our game and hit our peak by the time we travel for the Olympics," said the forward.
Shamsher expressed that he has thought about a few aspects of his game on which he needs to improve post the tour of Argentina.
"One has to keep improving with every training session and that's what I look to do. I have thought about a few techniques which I need to work on, and I am working on them one by one at the SAI campus. We are definitely very lucky to be in a safe environment here in Bengaluru and continue to practice for the Olympics. We are really grateful to Hockey India and SAI for all their efforts in the last one year," said the 23-year-old.
( With inputs from ANI )
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