Have to improve as team before Hockey World Cup next year: Abhishek

The 22-year-old featured in all six games at the CWG, helping India bag a silver medal, after going down to Australia in the summit clash.

Young forward Abhishek, who had a memorable outing in the recently-concluded Commonwealth Games, said the focus of the Indian hockey team is to stay in the best shape and form in the run-up to next year's World Cup.

"We all are really eager to return to training and prepare ourselves for the upcoming competitions," Abhishek, who scored two goals in six games in Birmingham, said in a Hockey India (HI) release.

"We all want to improve as a team, and with the World Cup next year, everyone wants to be in the best shape and form in the coming months."

The 22-year-old featured in all six games at the CWG, helping India bag a silver medal, after going down to Australia in the summit clash.

"It was quite a memorable experience for me to perform on such a big stage. I learned a lot about my game during the tournament, and understood areas where I can improve upon," Abhishek said.

"We performed as a team throughout the competition, despite facing tough opponents. Every match had a new challenge for us, and we were able to face it head-on. Even though the final against Australia did not go our way, we learned a lot from the match and have to improve upon in training."

Abhishek made his debut for India against South Africa at the FIH Pro League earlier this year and played 14 games and performed consistently, based on which he was picked for the CWG squad.