Sardar excited to face Australia

New Delhi: Indian hockey team captain Sardar Singh on Monday said the team is looking forward to meet world champions Australia in the 24th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup to be held in Ipoh, Malaysia from April 5 to 12.India had a fruitful 2014 when they won the the Asian Games gold after 16 years.
The Sardar-led side also defeated the Netherlands after 18 years in the Champions Trophy and also overcame World No.4 Belgium. They gave a tough fight to Australia as well to finish a creditable fourth in the tournament.
Now, the team is gearing up under new chief coach Paul van Ass to take on Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Malaysia and Canada for the title in Ipoh.
“The team is motivated post the Champions Trophy 2014, where we beat the top teams that are ranked higher than us. While we stood fourth in the tournament, there were stronger teams that finished lower in the tournament,” Sardar said in a release. (IANS)