However, he feels the present group below Manpreet Singh has the potential to interrupt the four-decade-old jinx in Tokyo subsequent yr.
“My journey in hockey has been fairly satisfying as a result of I used to be a part of that period which noticed a resurgence. We got here a great distance from ending final on the London Olympics in 2012 to being ranked No.6 on this planet once I hung up my boots in 2018.
“Now, the current team is poised at no.4 which should definitely bring a lot of confidence to this team in the lead up to their Tokyo Olympic campaign,” stated Sardar.
The Indian group has a wealthy Olympic historical past, profitable an unprecedented eight gold moreover a silver and two bronze medals.
India’s final success on the quadrennial sporting extravaganza, although, got here 40 years in the past within the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the place they gained the final of their eight gold medals.
“Having performed 314 worldwide matches, I’ll all the time remorse not with the ability to add an Olympic medal on the wall again house.
But watching this group develop from power to power previously yr and the way in which they performed the FIH Hockey Pro League earlier this yr, I’ve nice hope that they will bag that elusive Olympic medal. “They definitely have a realistic chance in Tokyo,” stated Sardar in a Hockey India launch.
With the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games being postponed by a yr due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sardar feels the Indian group will get a while to work on its gray areas and unearth new expertise.
“They have the time to construct on the brand new expertise that’s accessible. Some of the children like Rajkumar, Dilpreet, Vivek Sagar, Gursahib have proven nice promise and attempting them in big-match eventualities just like the Pro League was a superb resolution by chief coach Graham Reid.
“With the Olympics being postponed, we have the time to work on our short-comings. Converting chances continues to be one of the grey areas but I feel we have been finishing much better than we were two or three years ago.”
Sardar suggested the Indian gamers to not lose their focus amid the present international well being disaster, which has halted sporting actions the world over.
“For now, I understand these are trying times for all sports persons in India with the COVID-19 pandemic posing several challenges to the Olympic preparations but my advice to the Indian hockey core probables, men and women, is to remain focused on their goal,” stated the 34-year-old from Sirsa in Haryana.
“Playing in the Olympics for India should be the single most motivating factor for each and every athlete and they must channelise their efforts to be the best they can be ahead of the Tokyo Games.”
On a private notice, Sardar handpicked the 2014 Asian Games gold, the place they beat arch-rivals Pakistan to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics, because the stand-out second of his 12-year profession.
“Looking again at my profession that spanned over a decade, there have been some very memorable matches. Leading the Indian group to the 2014 Asian Games Gold, the primary in 16 years, will all the time be on high of that listing not simply because it was historic and beating Pakistan in a remaining is all the time an icing on the cake.
“This win set off a new beginning for the Indian men’s hockey team. In 2014, we were on the cusp of greater things to come and there was no looking back,” he added.
