Bengaluru: Former India men’s hockey team drag flicker Rupinder Pal Singh helped the women’s team with a five-day camp for the drag-flickers ahead of the crucial FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024 in Ranchi next month. The camp, which started on December 27, is being conducted at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus in Bengaluru. Drag-flickers Deepika and Gurjit Kaur are the notable names present in the camp.
The FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers Ranchi 2024 is scheduled to take place in Ranchi from January 13 to 19. India are placed in Pool B along with New Zealand, Italy, and the United States. Meanwhile, Pool A consists of Germany, Japan, Chile, and the Czech Republic.
Rupinder, who was a part of India’s Tokyo Olympics bronze medal-winning team in 2021, was impressed with the women players and is confident of the team doing well in Ranchi. “Gurjit and Deepika are exceptional players and drag flickers. They quickly understand and implement my pointers.
“This crash course will be a fantastic way to brush up on their skills before heading to Ranchi to participate in the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers Ranchi 2024. The whole team seems to be giving their all to ensure they qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics, and I am certain that they will do well in Ranchi,” said Rupinder, who scored a 234 goals in 223 appearances for Indian men.
Speaking about the ongoing session, Gurjit also expressed the importance of Rupinder’s guidance. “The 5-day drag flicking camp at SAI Bengaluru has proven to be a valuable experience for us. We are learning new things each day and looking to further improve our game by focusing on specific aspects that need refinement.
“Rupinder has been instrumental in guiding us, and the overall experience has been one of focused intensity. As we gear up for the upcoming tournaments, we are confident that the lessons learned here will contribute significantly to our performance on the field,” she added.
Echoing Gurjit’s sentiments, young Deepika said that Rupinder’s experience as a drag-flicker has been invaluable to them. “He shared his insights on the first rushers in today’s game, how they have become fearless and close down on the ball faster than before.
“To counter this, he advised us to pick up the ball faster. We also picked his brain on how to beat the first rusher, determining the line the rusher follows, where to get the ball stopped, which angle to take the shot in, and how to deal with mis-trapped balls. This camp will help us strengthen our penalty corners and give us a better chance to score in the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers Ranchi 2024,” Deepika commented.
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