Have to ensure that we keep putting up good performances consistently: Gurjant

BHUBANESWAR, Feb 6: Forward Gurjant Singh on Thursday said that consistent performance against top sides in the world was crucial for the Indian men�s hockey team ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

India began their FIH Pro League campaign on a fantastic note by defeating the Netherlands in both their matches last month, and Gurjant said performances like that have boosted the confidence of the team in an Olympic year.

�This is a very crucial time for us. Every match is very important for us. We are coordinating and playing well as a unit. We have to ensure that we keep putting up good performances consistently,� Gurjant said.

�Each and every player in the team has the Olympics in their mind and we are working towards doing well at the tournament,� he added.

The World No. 5 Indian team will face a bigger challenge when they take on Belgium on Saturday and Sunday here.

The 25-year-old said that the Indian team is confident heading into Saturday�s match since it performed brilliantly during its tour of Belgium last year.

�We had a great tour of Belgium last year, we won all our matches there. That result certainly gives us a lot of confidence. All the FIH Hockey Pro League matches will help us prepare for the Olympics. All the top teams in the world are playing this tournament.

�Now the Indian team is performing well. We beat the Netherlands last month, who are ranked third in the world. So the team�s morale is quite high at the moment,� Gurjant said.

India registered an incredible win against the Netherlands after trailing 1-3 in their second match last month. � PTI