JOIN USMotivated by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar's morale-boosting pep talk, a well-prepared and fully focussed Indian men's hockey team will strive for consistency in the upcoming FIH World Cup as it leaves for The Hague, Netherlands - the venue for the mega-event tonight.
The 18-member India team will depart for The Hague from here to participate in the World Cup to be held at The Kyocera Stadium from May 31 to June 15.
A day prior to their departure the Indian players were in for a pleasant shock when Tendulkar paid a surprise visit at the team hotel in the Capital and spent close to two hours with the players during which he shared his valuable experiences.
Tendulkar visited the team on the request of captain Sardar Singh and motivated the players with his inspirational talks.
"Sachin is a fantastic personality. Only me and Sardar knew about his visit. It was a welcome surprise for the players. Sachin shared his experiences with the players and it act as a big morale-booster for the team in the World Cup," Indian hockey's High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans told PTI before the team's departure.
Oltmans is happy with the preparation of the team and said India can spring up surprises in the tournament if they can play consistent hockey.
"Our preparation was upto the mark. The team is really gelling well. We made a lot of progress for sure but it is important for us to find out how close we are to the top teams," he said.