FIH Pro League: India women eye regaining winning momentum

BHUBANESWAR: After failing to grab the bonus point on Sunday despite goalkeeper Savita's heroics, the Indian women's hockey team will try to get back to their winning ways on Tuesday when they take on Spain in the FIH Pro League here. Their focus will be on converting their chances, something that they struggled to do in the second game against England.
Coach Harendra Singh believes it was because they were taking a tad too long to take their shots inside the D.
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"They're taking an extra second and we shouldn't do that. When the opponent is putting the pressure, you should not wait for an extra second. Let them organise their defence and that is when you should grab your moment," the coach said after the match on Sunday.
The coach also wants the team to make better use of counter-attacks and their speed.
“We are good on the counter. Also, we have players like Salima, Sarmila, Sunelita and Lalremsiami who are very fast, and we should utilise their strength. So, we need to set it up quickly and pass. We are taking a lot of time to see and communicate,” he added.
Spain, on the other hand, won both their games against Germany and will be high on confidence. In their last five games, Spain and India have won twice each while one finished in a draw.

The men’s team will, meanwhile, look to continue from where they left off against Spain and grab their second win of the campaign against Germany.
Craig Fulton had made six changes to the squad from the first game and there will likely be some new faces on Tuesday, too. What remains to be seen though is whether Harmanpreet Singh, who was rested due to a wrist injury, will make a return or not.
As for Germany, they have already played four games in the Pro League of which they have won only one, lost two and another finished in a draw. The world champions, however, will take confidence from the fact that they beat India once in the two-game series in New Delhi in October.
In the other match of the day, the England men's team will take on Spain.