New Delhi, Apr 30 (UNI) Hockey legend and former captain Vasudevan Baskaran feels that the Indian men's hockey team shouldn't just be happy with the 'Olympian title' but they should aim for a medal in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
Baskaran, who had led India to its last Olympic gold medal in hockey in the 1980 Moscow edition, advised the team to keep up its confidence level.
'The men's team has been playing really well. My advice to them is to keep the confidence level up. Each player has come up the hard way to reach here,' Baskaran said on a Hockey Indian podcast 'Hockey Te Charcha.'
'It would perhaps be the first Olympics for about seven-eight players, and I feel they shouldn't just be happy with the 'Olympian title' but they should aim for a medal. This is possible only when everybody in the team believes that they can be a medal-winning team and finish on the podium,' he added.
Speaking of the Indian women's team, Baskaran stated that the team has gained tremendous confidence since their previous outing at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
According to him, the Rani led side has earned its place in the Olympics by sheer determination and now must remain focused on finishing in the top four at the Tokyo Games.
'When I was playing 1980 Moscow Olympics, women's hockey was included. Our Indian team had missed the bronze medal closely. After seeing the current Indian women's hockey team, particularly from 2016 they have developed a lot of confidence.
I saw them play live in Bhubaneswar when they beat USA, one of the best teams in the world. They rightfully earned the place in the Olympics,' he said.
'They are on the up-hill scale. They need to push themselves for the first 4 position. I know Rani and team are capable of doing very well,' he added.
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