Never expected to be the costliest player of HIL: Moritz Fuerste

September 20, 2015

New Delhi, Sep 20: Ace German striker Moritz Fuerste had never expected to become the costliest player of Hockey India League (HIL) and the star playmaker, who was sold for $105000, is more than excited to be a part of the Kalinga Lancers squad.

FuersteThe midfielder had a base price of $30,000 and at one point Delhi Waveriders and Uttar Pradesh Wizards were leading the race in securing the two-time Olympic champion during the auction held here earlier in the week. However, the Lancers entered the race much later, when the bid was in $90,000, to steal Fuerste for the highest price.

"I never expected anything like that. I am more than excited and I am very happy to play for Kalinga Lancers," Fuerste told PTI Bhasha in an email interview when asked about if he was expecting such a whopping amount.

"It seems that Kalinga Lancers are a very professional franchise. Dilip Tirkey (mentor) is a key figure and also Mark Hager is a great coach. And I already worked with team manager David John so it looks like a great set up," he said about his new team.

Two-time Olympian Fuerste is also excited about the new HIL rule of counting one field goal as two and believes that it will put more emphasis on strikers as well as defenders.

"Obviously that makes strikers even more important. On the other hand you can argue that it also is more important to defend your goal better than before. Anyway I like that idea. It should bring some spice into the game," he said.

He also feels that not only Indian players but foreign players are also benefitting from HIL.

"It is not just young Indian players who get chance to play with the best players in the world but it is also beneficial for overseas players. It is not only because of the money, but also skillwise as it has widened our personal horizon. And the hockey is also not that bad at all."

When asked about Indian team's chances in Rio Olympics he said that India will fight for last four. "I think India will fight for semi finals in Rio.

"India has got some fantastic players like Manpreet Singh , Birendra Lakra, Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh to name a few. Manpreet is a great team player, which is something Indian players are not world famous for. Biru (Lakra) is a very talented player and so calm on the ball. Strikers like Akashdeep and Mandeep are also impressive, especially in the circle. And Rupinder Pal Singh is still one of the best defenders in the world. I enjoy watching those guys play," he added.

Apart from hockey, he loves coming to India for the food and enthusiasm of the people.

Currently busy in preparation for World Hockey league finals to be held in Raipur in December, Fuerste is hopeful of a good show by Germany.

"We had a bad day in the European final. But that won't bother us any further. We are back on track now and looking forward to the WL Final," added the striker.

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News Network
May 14,2020

New Delhi, May 14: Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an unconventional and unique leader, whose biggest strength is his incredible gut feeling, says his Chennai Super Kings teammate Faf du Plessis.

The former South Africa skipper has spent considerable time with Dhoni after joining the Indian Premier League (IPL) side in 2011 and has been an integral part of its successful journey.

"He reads the others player really well and he uses that to make instinctive decisions on the field. He's got an incredible gut feeling on the game and I think that's his biggest strength," du Plessis said in a Facebook live session with Bangladesh ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal.

The 35-year-old said Dhoni changed his perception of how a captain should be.

"It was amazing for me to see how different M S was as a captain. I used to think a captain must speak all the time in team meetings etc but M S was completely different.

"He doesn't believe a lot in team meetings. He's a very instinctive captain he's got such a good cricket brain that he relies on it to make the right decisions on the field," du Plessis said of former India skipper.

Dhoni last played for India in World Cup semifinal last year and was expected to be back to playing competitive cricket at now-postponed IPL.

Calling Dhoni the best finisher he has played with, Du Plessis said no one can emulate what the dasher from Ranchi can do with the bat.

"He's extremely calm. I haven't played with someone who is a better finisher than him. It's just remarkable to watch him from the side of the field."

"If someone else tries to do it like him they won't be able to. He's just so unique like he times the ball so late he's got an incredible calmness. He knows his game and he picks a bowler and goes for it."

Du Plessis said that playing for CSK alongside Dhoni and under the guidance head coach Stephen Fleming has taught him a lot about leadership.

"I'm lucky to have started my journey there at CSK because I have really learned a lot from a leadership point of view. I tried to learn as much as possible from Dhoni and Stephen Fleming because both are great captains."

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News Network
July 23,2020

New Delhi, Jul 23: With one year to go for the Olympic Games to begin in Tokyo on July 23, 2021, Indian women's hockey team skipper Rani Rampal on Thursday said the side has performed well against top teams in recent times and can do the same at the Olympics.

The Indian team has competed well against top teams in the recent past and has registered memorable victories at the FIH Series Finals and the FIH Olympic Qualifiers last year.

"We have competed against top teams in the recent past and we have shown that our team has the capability of winning a medal and making our country proud at the Olympics. We have a good group of experienced players, who are guiding the junior players very well. Our team has been getting better with each tournament we have played and we will definitely improve our game even further in the next one year," said the 25-year-old said in a statement.

Speaking about her participation at the Olympics, Rani said that the experience will help her make better decisions at the Tokyo Olympics.

"It was great to be a part of the Olympics in Rio. We made history by qualifying for the tournament after 36 years. It was a great feeling to be playing at the biggest of stages. Even though we didn't register the best of results, I have certainly learned a lot by playing the Olympic Games matches in 2016. I am sure all the players, who played in the 2016 Olympics, will make much better decisions on the pitch at the Tokyo Olympics, based on their experience in Rio," she said.

The Tokyo Olympics will be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021, while the Paralympics will take place from August 24 to September 5, 2021.  

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Agencies
May 9,2020

Tokyo, May 9: As the world continues to grapple with coronavirus pandemic, the organisers of Tokyo Game Show have cancelled 2020 showpiece event.

TGS 2020 was slated to be played from September 24 to September 27 at the Makuhari Messe convention center. However, there now talks going on for holding an online event instead.

According to the Verge, this is the first time that TGS has ever been cancelled since it started in 1996.

TGS 2020 gained more attention because of its status as the last major trade show before the launch of the upcoming next-gen consoles, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

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