Current Indian men's and women's hockey teams are best in terms of fitness, style of play: Former skipper Bharat Chetri

New Delhi, July 21: Former India men's hockey goalkeeper and captain Bharat Chetri has lavished praise on current India men's and women's hockey teams and believes both the teams are capable of finishing the podium in the Tokyo Olympics.

In a release for Hockey India, Bharat Chetri recalled his team's performance at the 2012 London Olympics and talked about the Indian Hockey Teams' gradual but considerable progress in recent years.

"My time as a Player with the Indian Men's Hockey Team will always be the most cherished moments of my life. I had the opportunity to represent my country for more than a decade, and one thing I can say for sure was that I always was ready to give my 110% for my country on the field. The first time I had the opportunity to become an Olympian was at the 2012 London Olympics, where I felt we had a very decent team with the likes of VR Raghunath, Shivendra Singh and Sandeep Singh in our ranks. However, I would call it an opportunity missed because we would always make a comeback in our matches early on but then failed to capitalize on our chances. But I don't call it a bad tournament also because I felt as a nation, we ended up learning a lot from those Games."

The 38-year-old who has worked in various capacities with the national sides is pretty impressed with the progress of the current teams. He seems satisfied with their performance at the highest level in recent years.

"We were obviously behind a lot of teams in terms of fitness and our style of play, but I think what we have always had was the passion to play at the highest level. As a fan of hockey, and as a former player too, it gives me immense joy and satisfaction to see the current state of our Men's and Women's teams," he added.

Chetri also praised the compositions of both the men's and women's teams and had special praise for senior goalkeepers Savita and PR Sreejesh.

"We have the best players in the world, and in my opinion, both the teams are quite similar in their composition - given we have both Savita and PR Sreejesh as our experienced goalkeepers, and then a steady defence ahead of them. Midfield and attack for both the teams is quite potent, lively, efficient and effective, with the right mixture of youth and experience in our ranks.

"Having worked with both the teams and watched them from close quarters, I feel the current teams are probably the best in terms of their fitness, their style of play and the coordination. When I had seen their coordination on and off the field, it makes me feel so happy because somehow I felt that this level of coordination was something that was lacking in our teams of the past which perhaps was one of the reasons we have been unable to perform exceptionally on occasions. We always had the talent and the opportunity to take that step forward as a team, but the other teams were ahead of us in their respective Olympic processes, and I think we always ended up lacking that authority and edge in big matches."

The former captain claimed that ever since the disappointment in the 2012 London Olympics, Indian Hockey has maintained an upward curve and the credit for the same goes to the players, coaches, as well as the administration for giving them the right exposure.

"But over the past eight years since the London Olympics, I think there has been considerable improvement in our game, and the credit for that also needs to go to all the players and coaches who have been involved, and also Hockey India for doing a great job in providing the best facilities and infrastructure to its athletes to train and stay during their National Camps, and play on tours abroad.

"I think as a young player, when you see the kind of importance that a National Team gets from its fans and the federation as well, it is just very motivating. As a former athlete, I can tell you that it means a lot and is always added motivation for the players," he added further.

Chetri exuded confidence that the two teams can win medals at next year's Olympic games.

The younger Bharat would have said that my dream was to win medals at the Olympics, but the older Bharat, as a fan of Indian hockey, just wants to see these amazing teams win the medals for our country at the Tokyo Olympic Games. It is not just a dream, it is a belief, which I have seen in our current players also during the times that I have spent with them as the Goalkeeping or Assistant Coach. I think the talent that we have in our ranks, along with the top fitness levels, we really have a good chance to perform at our best under the guidance of both the respective Chief Coaches."