<p>The Indian men's hockey team captain Manpreet Singh feels if his side continues with its current good form, it has the potential to end an over four-decade-long Olympic medal drought in Tokyo this year.</p>.<p>India had won last of their eight Olympic gold medals in the 1980 Moscow Olympics before the team endured a sharp slide in its fortunes.</p>.<p>But in the last couple of years, India have made steady progress.</p>.<p>"Firstly, it was good to be back playing international hockey after a long time. I'm very happy with the progress of the team over the last 18 months. If we continue to build on this, I am sure we can defeat any team," Manpreet said on the occasion of a 100-day countdown to the Tokyo Games, is scheduled to begin on July 23.</p>.<p>The Indian team recently got the better of reigning Olympic champions Argentina in the FIH pro league in an away tie.</p>.<p>"The team spirit is high right now and as I said before, we should use every opportunity we get before the Tokyo Olympics to fine-tune our game," Manpreet said.</p>.<p>"The youngsters in the team have come a long way. I'm hoping this form continues and we put a much better display than what we'd managed in the Rio Olympics," he added.</p>.<p>The Indian men's hockey team finished a disappointing eighth at the 2016 Rio Olympics.</p>.<p>Like Manpreet, the Indian women's team skipper Rani Rampal too is optimistic about a good show in Tokyo. The team would be making a back-to-back Olympic Games appearance for the first time in the history of the event.</p>.<p>"I am happy with the fight our team showed against wold no 2 Argentina and Germany earlier this year," Rani said in a release issued by Hockey India.</p>.<p>"Of course, we're disappointed to have not registered a win, but we have showed that we could hold our own against higher-ranked opponents. Since coming back from Germany, we have been working hard on our finishing and our technique.</p>.<p>"I feel we have come a long way from a tactical standpoint. I'm confident that once we convert these good performances into results, we will be in the mix for an Olympic medal too."</p>.<p>Hockey India has launched 'Hockey te Charcha', a special podcast series to relive the glorious moments of Indian hockey through the voices of some iconic players.</p>.<p>The series, in its first episode, featured a conversation with Harbinder Singh.</p>.<p>Hockey te Charcha will be a fortnightly series in the lead up to the Tokyo Games.</p>
<p>The Indian men's hockey team captain Manpreet Singh feels if his side continues with its current good form, it has the potential to end an over four-decade-long Olympic medal drought in Tokyo this year.</p>.<p>India had won last of their eight Olympic gold medals in the 1980 Moscow Olympics before the team endured a sharp slide in its fortunes.</p>.<p>But in the last couple of years, India have made steady progress.</p>.<p>"Firstly, it was good to be back playing international hockey after a long time. I'm very happy with the progress of the team over the last 18 months. If we continue to build on this, I am sure we can defeat any team," Manpreet said on the occasion of a 100-day countdown to the Tokyo Games, is scheduled to begin on July 23.</p>.<p>The Indian team recently got the better of reigning Olympic champions Argentina in the FIH pro league in an away tie.</p>.<p>"The team spirit is high right now and as I said before, we should use every opportunity we get before the Tokyo Olympics to fine-tune our game," Manpreet said.</p>.<p>"The youngsters in the team have come a long way. I'm hoping this form continues and we put a much better display than what we'd managed in the Rio Olympics," he added.</p>.<p>The Indian men's hockey team finished a disappointing eighth at the 2016 Rio Olympics.</p>.<p>Like Manpreet, the Indian women's team skipper Rani Rampal too is optimistic about a good show in Tokyo. The team would be making a back-to-back Olympic Games appearance for the first time in the history of the event.</p>.<p>"I am happy with the fight our team showed against wold no 2 Argentina and Germany earlier this year," Rani said in a release issued by Hockey India.</p>.<p>"Of course, we're disappointed to have not registered a win, but we have showed that we could hold our own against higher-ranked opponents. Since coming back from Germany, we have been working hard on our finishing and our technique.</p>.<p>"I feel we have come a long way from a tactical standpoint. I'm confident that once we convert these good performances into results, we will be in the mix for an Olympic medal too."</p>.<p>Hockey India has launched 'Hockey te Charcha', a special podcast series to relive the glorious moments of Indian hockey through the voices of some iconic players.</p>.<p>The series, in its first episode, featured a conversation with Harbinder Singh.</p>.<p>Hockey te Charcha will be a fortnightly series in the lead up to the Tokyo Games.</p>