India, France set for face-off on Euro tour

New Delhi: Following a tumultuous few weeks that saw the exit of Indian hockey coach Paul van Ass, the national team begin their Europe tour with a clash against hosts France at Le Touquet, on Monday.

The team, who have seen foreign coaches come and go far too often, play two matches in France before travelling to Spain for three games. High performance director Roelant Oltmans will perform the duties of the chief coach.

India had recently beaten France — ranked 17th in the latest world rankings — in the World League semi-finals in Belgium, where they finished fourth. Oltmans said the eight-ranked Indians were not taking the hosts lightly.

“Though we have beaten France in our previous encounters, we are not taking them lightly. They are preparing for the EuroHockey Championships, which is a very important tournament for them and they will utilise all the opportunities perfectly before the start of the tournament.

“The Indian boys are well prepared and we have strategies to counter them. The tour will help us to understand our strategies better and the strength of the players,” said Oltmans.
Speaking after a practice session, captain Sardar Singh said: “France are a good team. We will play with our man-to-man strategy.

“In our last match in Belgium, they stunned us with their speed and an early goal. This time, we won’t give them room for surprise attacks and will try to keep ball possession in our side,” he added.