Indian men’s hockey team defender Surender Kumar on Wednesday said he was eyeing an unprecedented gold win in the upcoming Commonwealth Games, ending Australia’s dominance in the multi-sport event.
Australia has won six consecutive gold medals in men’s hockey competitions since the start of the game at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.
India has changed since winning an Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo after 41 years and the Graham Reid-led team would be looking to build on their silver medal winning efforts in Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014.
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“Our target is to win a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games. Rest will depend on our performance. India release.
After Tokyo’s glory last year, India saw a lean patch by finishing third in the Asian Champions Trophy and Asia Cup – two tournaments where the country fielded a second-leg team. India also finished third in the FIH Pro League.
Surender believes that performances against top teams in the Pro League will put him in good stead in Birmingham.
“The matches we have played since the Tokyo Olympics have been very good. We have played against strong teams and that has really helped us.
“We executed our plans well and were also able to identify areas where we need to improve,” the 28-year-old said.
India are placed in Pool B along with hosts England, Canada, Wales and Ghana.
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Surender said his first focus would be on getting off to a good start against Ghana on July 31.
We are not taking any match lightly. Each team will enter the tournament to win the gold medal. Our current focus is on the first match against Ghana.”
“We are closely following the footage of the opponents. Our coaches are planning accordingly and we would expect to follow it on match day as well. There will be no easy team in the tournament and we will go game-by-play.”
He further added that his main focus in the training sessions has been on physical fitness and defense before the games.
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