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'Olympic atmosphere very different from test games': Former India captain Zafar Iqbal gives advice to men's hockey team
India men's hockey team will compete in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics in less than 30 days.
With less than 30 days to go for the Tokyo 2020, the Olympic fever is engulfing the entire sporting world. While the Indian men's hockey team is carrying out their high-octane practice sessions at the SAI center in Bengaluru, former India hockey captain Zafar Iqbal gave advice to the team.
India's 'Left Forward' Iqbal cautioned the Indian team to understand that the environment in the Olympics will be different from the test games.
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“The (Men’s) team is ranked 4th in the world which in itself is a great achievement. I kept an eye on their performances in the tour against Argentina, where they played well," Iqbal said in the 6th article of Hockey India's Flashback Series.
"I just have to say that the Olympic atmosphere is very different from test games. There is no room for any slip-ups or experiments here, and self-belief and self-determination in each player are going to be the most valuable traits for the team," he added.
Iqbal, who was part of India's 1980 Olympics gold medal-winning team, recalled the campaign. “The memory of 1980 will remain with me forever. It was more than a personal achievement as it was such a big moment for the country as well. It was the 8th Gold medal in hockey for the country, which is a record that will surely stand for a long long time.
“It was a tough campaign for us because most of the members in that team were young players and debutants at the Olympics. I believe only Vasudevan Baskaran and Bir Bahadur Chhetri had played in the 1976 Olympics previously. I remember that the final against Spain was a really difficult match. Mohammed Shahid was our key player in the final, and he played extraordinarily that day," he added.
