BHUBANESWAR: After the 2016 Olympic quarterfinals, this Thursday will be the Indian hockey team's biggest test in two years. That after the hosts entered the last-eight stage in promising style in the ongoing Men's Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar.
Two wins and a draw in the pool stage meant the team didn't have to wait for other results to go their way, to progress to the quarters -- something that's a new trend of sorts and a departure from the past, where direct qualification was not something Indian teams could produce on a regular basis.
Coach Harendra Singh though put things into perspective, after the win against Canada, saying "The World Cup begins now". And on Tuesday, captain Manpreet Singh added to it: "We have no option but to play well, else we go out empty-handed."
What differentiates this Indian team from its predecessors, is the way it manages to turn things around during a match, snatch momentum and get back on top. But until now, the perform-or-perish pressure was not there on the boys, which is where the team has faltered in the recent past, like in the Champions Trophy final and the Asian Games semifinal.
But Harendra has insisted that the team must not look back, and the team responded at the Asian Champions Trophy and so far here at the World Cup.
"I don't need to tell the team anything because all the boys know how important this quarterfinal is," the skipper said after training on Tuesday morning.
India play the winner of the crossover game between the Netherlands and Canada later on Tuesday, with the Dutch expected to race into quarters with a one-sided win.
"We expect Holland to come through. We will be watching this match and whatever their positives are, we will see today," said Manpreet, who played a limited role in India's 5-1 win over Canada due to a cold.
"My health is better now," he reassured the media though.
Talking about tactics, Manpreet said the team is at its best when it attacks.
"When we become defensive, we tend to become too defensive and that gives more chances to the opponents. We will look to maximise attack and put pressure on them (opponents in quarterfinals)," he said.