It is Mental Aspect That We Have to Focus On: India Hockey Coach Reid

Bhubaneswar, Feb 20 (PTI) Indian hockey team coach Graham Reid on Thursday said he will look to mould his players into a battle-hardened and mentally strong outfit before the Tokyo Olympics.

Hosts India would look to continue their fine form when they take on title holders Australia in their next FIH Pro League tie here on Friday.

"It is the mental aspect that we need to focus on, and make sure that we are ready to front up to different challenges, because that will help us in preparing better for the Olympics as well. The challenge is to keep going every weekend," Reid said.

Speaking ahead of the match, Reid expressed confidence of a good outing against the famed Australians.

"I think we have played some very consistent level of hockey in our first four matches against The Netherlands and Belgium. We faced two of the top-3 teams in the world, and showed that we can compete at the highest level constantly.

"We are feeling really confident ahead of the matches against the No. 2 team in the world, and of course they are also the defending champions of the FIH Hockey Pro League."

He spoke about the mood in the Indian camp and said they worked on corners.

"All our players are very confident after the performances they have put in against Netherlands and Belgium.

"Apart from that, in the build-up to these matches, we've been working on our corners, and our key focus has been on making sure that we play with the same tempo throughout the two matches."

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