Back in the national fold after recovering from a knee injury, experienced midfielder Danish Mujtaba wants to provide as much support as possible to captain Sardar Singh in Indian hockey team’s campaign at the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Danish, who was suffering from a knee injury since May last year, was part of the squad that went on a preparatory tour to The Hague, Netherlands just ahead of the World Cup but did not find a place in the main team for the quadrennial event, where India finished a lowly ninth.
“I made a comeback in the team. My focus will be to support captain Sardar Singh in the midfield and in the process provide the required balance to both the forward line as well as the defence,” he said.
“Apart from Sardar our midfield has other players like Dharamvir Singh, Chinglensana Singh and Manpreet Singh and I believe this makes us a formidable line-up. “Also I believe that the faster we play, better chances will open up for us,” added Danish, who has 111 international caps to his credit.
‘Ritusha a big threat’
Glasgow: Heaping praise on her young teammate Ritusha Arya, the Indian women hockey team’s senior member Rani Rampal on Saturday said the youngster is in her best form. “Ritusha Arya with her 15 caps has proved to be a big threat to the defence of the opponent during our tour to Malaysia as well as the recent international matches that we have played,” Rani said.
“During our preparations here, she looks in form and will soon be seen in action again. She has complimented our play on the field since the day she made her debut on the international arena,” Rani added.