India will make its debut in the second edition of FIH Pro League in January and Rupinder Pal Singh feels it will serve as an ideal preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.
After opting out of the inaugural tournament last year, the Indian men’s hockey team will open its campaign in the FIH Pro League against The Netherlands at home in January next year.
And Rupinder, who made a comeback into the national team in the Olympic Qualifiers last week, said the Pro League will give India a fair idea about their strengths and weakness ahead of 2020 Olympics.
“The FIH Pro League was a great success in it’s first edition, and we are all very excited to be a part of it next year. These matches will be a great test for us, especially playing against the best teams from around the world. We will be hosting as well as touring some very strong teams in the next eight months,” he said.
“Our aim was to qualify for the Olympics, and now that we have secured our place, it is now time to put everything into preparation for the Olympic Games. We have nine months to prepare for the quadrennial event, and playing in the FIH Pro League will serve as good preparation for us.
“We will be able to determine where we stand against the top teams, and we will have enough time to make improvements and corrections in our game leading up to the Olympics,” he added.