Indian hockey is not going through its best phase. The dismal performance of the men’s team at the World Cup, resulting in ninth-place finish, has been another disappointment.
While this put administrators back into the familiar routine of reviewing ‘poor performance’ and making necessary changes, the women’s team has subtly managed to garner some praise after their successful Malaysian tour.
In the six-match series against the hosts as a build-up for the Commonwealth Games, the Indian girls swept home all the matches with comprehensive margins.
“The Malaysian tour was great for the team. We were consistent in all the matches. Every player did what was expected of her. The clean sweep has given us a lot of confidence,” skipper Ritu Rani told Mail Today on Saturday.
With the Commonwealth Games starting next month, the series win comes as much needed morale boost for the team. In fact, the preparation for the Glasgow Games as well as the Incheon Asiad began gathered speed earlier this year when they played a three-match series against Ireland and the FIH Champions Challenge in Scotland.
“The preparation for the CWG is good. We had at least three tours prior to the event. We won the series against Ireland. Though we lost all our matches at the Champions Challenge I, the Malaysian tour was a big success. So, the exposure has been good,” Ritu said.
Despite training under Australian coach Neil Hawgood for the last two years, the team has not been able to compete on equal terms with the better teams in the world. Ritu, however, denies any coaching concerns.
“Every coach has a different approach to the game. Neil is relatively new and his coaching style is different from our previous coaches. We have spent two years with him. It takes time to get used to a different style of play.”
India women have a decent record at the Commonwealth Games, winning a gold in Manchester (2002) and silver in Melbourne (2006). This time, they are placed in a comparatively easy group with South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada and New Zealand, two of whom are ranked below India.
“I will not say that the draw is easy. At the last edition, we crashed before the semi-finals on goal difference. So, the lower-ranked teams are not to be taken lightly. In fact, we will not leave anything to chance and try to score more goals in every match.”
Eyeing a medal this year, Ritu is looking at 2002 as inspiration.
“Reaching the final is the target. We are aiming for a medal. It has been a long wait. We won a gold medal in 2002 and silver in 2006. 2010 was unfortunate. We will look at the previous victories as inspiration and try to get on the podium.”
(Story written for Mail Today)
TazeenQureshy 