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Kane Russell fancies taking on India since he believes that the Black Sticks match up well against the Indians despite being the perpetual underdogs.
Russell, who is excited to play the Hockey India League where he will turn out for the UP Rudras, also stresses that the Indians play a brand of hockey that is fun and not "super-structured like a game of chess."
During the course of an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda, the triple Olympian also asserted that he was keen to add to the penalty corner battery of the Rudras which includes the likes of Sam Ward.
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Kane Russell has been playing club hockey in Europe for close to a decade but asserts that hockey in India is a "different kettle of fish" with the massive stadiums and the energy in the stands.
"I've been playing in Europe for the last nine years. I do love that. But India is a completely different kettle of fish. And, you know, for a start, the stadiums are massive. There's so much energy," Kane Russell observed.
"The fans are behind you. And, you know, you walk around the street and everyone's so keen for photos. Also everyone loves asking about the New Zealand cricket team," he added with a laugh. "And it's just a really cool experience being in India. So, yeah, just extremely excited to be playing the Hockey India League."
Despite starting their games against India as the underdogs, the Black Sticks have always managed to ensure that the encounters go down to the wire. Rankings matter little when the two sides face off and Russell attributes the closeness of the contests to the manner in which the Indians play.
New Zealand ran India close before going down by a 2-3 margin in the Paris Olympics after having knocked the hosts out of the 2023 World Cup in Bhubaneswar.
"Oh, look, I really enjoy playing India because, you know, they play really attacking hockey. Indian hockey is fun, it's not super-structured chess style," Kane Russell pointed out.
"Yeah, all those games I reflect on, man, they've been so exciting. There's been lots of goals scored. It's come down to the wire. And I guess maybe we just match up well against India. And we're kind of the underdog with a little bit less pressure, and that seems to suit our team," he reckoned.
Russell also describes the game against India in the 2023 FIH Hockey World Cup as "one of the greatest wins that he has experienced in his career". The Black Sticks bounced back from a two-goal deficit to level things up at 3-3 and force a shootout which they went on to win in front of a packed house.
"There was a massive crowd at Bhubaneswar and, you know, there was so much energy in the stadium. So, playing that game and winning it in the end was definitely one of the greatest wins I've experienced in my hockey career," said the 32-year-old as he recalled NZ's shootout win.
"I mean, that was a crazy match. I guess there was a lot more pressure on India at that stage and they were probably expected to beat us. We'd come off a loss against Malaysia (2-3) and we hadn't been playing our best hockey. We were the underdog and we just went out there and played with no fear," said Kane Russell, who scored in the crossover game.
"Really excited to be on top of the circle" - Kane Russell keen to display drag-flicking skills for UP Rudras' side in Hockey India League
Kane Russell asserted that penalty corners play a big role in determining the final outcome of games, thus emphasizing the role of drag flickers in modern hockey.
"You know, it's a pretty big aspect of the game, and often it's the difference between winning and losing. So, you know, I'm really excited to be at the top of the circle with a couple of other good drag flickers in our team. So, yeah, I hope our bracket goes well and it can start us off in the tournament very strong," Kane Russell declared.
The star defender drove home the point that improvisation is the key to success for a drag-flicker in the long run with penalty corner defenses getting increasingly stronger.
"You know, I think the defenses are getting stronger and stronger every year, the runners, the goalkeepers. So, you know, you have to improvise. You have to come up with new ways to score," the Dunedin-born player disclosed.
"So, it's difficult, but it's also a great challenge. And, you know, I played a few tournaments where we probably hadn't earned that many penalty corners. But, you know, if our team goes well here in India, then, you know, it would be really fun to get a lot of chances each game and try and bury those," Russell figured.
Kane Russell explained that players from different parts of the world have very different skill-sets and it would be interesting to see how the UP Rudras coalesce as a unit.
"Indians, New Zealanders, Dutchmen, they all have such different skill sets. So, you know, it's going to be exciting to see how this team can gel and what sort of hockey we can play. And also, you know, what sort of license our coaches give us as well," he said.
The Rudras have a mix of some incredible overseas talent featuring Lars Balk and Floris Wortelboer of the Netherlands, Sam Ward of Great Great Britain and Tanguy Cosyns of Belgium.
Lalit Upadhyay, Akashdeep Singh, and Hardik Singh add to the strength of the side coached by master tactician Paul van Ass.
The UP Rudras take on the Kalinga Lancers in their opening game of the Hockey India League on December 30 before taking on Soorma Hockey Club on January 2.
