India should play attacking hockey against Belgium: 1975 WC winner Aslam Sher Khan

Bhubaneswar: Member of illustrious 1975 World Cup winning team and Hockey Olympian Aslam Sher Khan today urged team India to go all guns blazing in its next encounter against Belgium in the ongoing Men’s Hockey World Cup at Kalinga Stadium tomorrow.

Sher Khan, who played a crucial role in sending India through to the finals of the 1975 World Cup by scoring in the dying minutes of the semi-final against Malaysia, said the hosts should play attacking hockey right from the word go, but should also focus on defending in last minutes of the game.

“I don’t know how the coach would line up his team against the Belgium side but I think they should attack and then defend well without committing any silly mistakes by giving away penalty corners in the dying minutes,” Sher Khan said.

On the performance of the team India, Sher Khan said, “The stakes were different and India netted 5 goals against South Africa in the opening match. But now the hosts will face Belgium and they might not be able to score as many goals and hence defence needs to be strengthened."

Both India and Belgium have started their campaign with wins, but the Men in Blue are on top in Group C thanks to their better goal margin.

Sher Khan said, “If team India beats Belgium it will give them a psychological advantage in moving forward to the next stages of the tournament. Definitely they will qualify for the quarter finals if they get past the Belgian threat, the win will boost their morale to enter the semis."