Indian hockey team skipper Manpreet Singh recalled legendary player and former skipper Dhanraj Pillay's words that keep him motivated before any game.
During a question and answer session on Twitter when Manpreet was asked to share something that Pillay had taught him, he replied, "These are his words that we will always remember 'if you believe in yourself, you will be able to beat any team' and that keeps us motivated before any match."
Pillay is regarded as one of the best players India has ever produced. He is the only player to have played in four Olympics (1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004), four World Cups (1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002), four Champions Trophies (1995, 1996, 2002, and 2003), and four Asian Games (1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002).
India won the Asian Games (1998) and Asia Cup (2003) under his captaincy. He was also the highest goal scorer in the Bangkok Asian Games and was the only Indian player to feature in the World Eleven side during the 1994 World Cup in Sydney.
The Indian men's hockey team is currently away from their families due to the coronavirus enforced lockdown at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) facility in Bengaluru.
During the interaction on Twitter, when the midfielder was asked to name his favourite player from the 1975 World Cup winning-side, the only time India won the World Cup, he picked former skipper Ajitpal Singh.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been postponed until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the games will take place from July 23 to August 8 next year while the Paralympics Games will be held from August 24 to September 5, 2021.
Commenting on the postponement of the Olympics Manpreet said, "We are positive, motivated and pumped up and nothing can bring us down as it give us "extra" time to prepare well for next year."
( With inputs from ANI )