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With just a week left for the Commonwealth Games (2022 CWG) to commence, the in-form Indian men's hockey team will enter the colossal event looking to dethrone the six-time champions Australia.
The Manpreet Singh-led side are training ahead of the 2022 CWG at the National Camp at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru. The training camp will conclude on July 23.
Indian men's hockey team defender Surender Kumar recently shed light on the team's preparations, with fitness being the foremost goal of the team. He explained:
"Our training sessions are still going on. Our focus has been mainly on fitness, and we have been working a lot on this aspect of the game. We have worked on getting stronger in other areas as well, especially in defence. We are not taking any match lightly. Every team will enter the tournament to win the Gold medal. Our current focus is on the first game against Ghana."
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He added:
"We have been closely following the footage that we have received. Our coaches are making plans accordingly and we will hope to follow the same on the match day. There will be no easy teams in the tournament and we will go game by game."
It's been an incredible run for the Indian men's team - from the side's success in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics to a third-place finish in the 2021/22 FIH Pro League. Speaking about the team's recent form and performances, Surender said:
"Our target is to win the Gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. The rest will depend on our performances. The matches that we have played since the Tokyo Olympics 2020 have been quite good.
He added:
"We have played against strong teams and it has really benefited us. We executed our plans well and thus we were also able to recognize the areas where we can improve upon. We have focused on those areas at the camp."
CWG 2022: Indian men's hockey team schedule
The Indian men's hockey team has been drawn alongside England, Canada, Ghana and Wales in Pool B. They will play their opener at CWG 2022 against Ghana on July 31.
Men's Hockey Team 2022 CWG fixtures
Match 1: India vs Ghana
Date: July 31, 2022 Timings: 8:30 pm IST
Match 2: England vs India
Date: August 1, 2022 Timings: 8:30 pm IST
Match 3: Canada vs India
Date: August 3, 2022 Timings: 6:30 pm IST
Match 4: India vs Wales
Date: August 4, 2022 Timings: 6:30 pm IST
The quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals for both the men's and women's hockey teams will depend on the performances in the pool stage matches. These fixtures will be announced at a later date.
