Manchester: Having failed to secure a single medal in the Commonwealth Games so far,
the Indian women's hockey team will be determined to reverse their sliding fortunes
in the 17th edition of the Games.
But it would need a stupendous effort for the Indian eves to break the medal drought
in the event this time also as they have to contend with Commonwealth powerhouses
like Australia, England and Canada.
The women's team came within sniffing distance of a bronze medal in the 1998
Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur but a defeat in the semi-finals made them return
home empty-hand.
The team will need more than luck to change the script this time in the eight-team
championship beginning at the Belle Vue Regional Hockey Centre on Friday.
The Indians have been placed in the tough pool ‘B’ along with strong contenders New
Zealand, hosts England and Canada, making things all the more difficult for a team
which has never been known for consistency.
Defending champions Australia, Scotland, South Africa and Jamaica have been clubbed
in pool ‘A’. The championship will be played on a league-cum-knock out basis with
the top two teams from each group qualifying for the semi-finals. The final is
slated for August 3.
The Indians will open their campaign against Canada on Friday and then take on New
Zealand two days later. They play their last group league match against hosts
England on July 29.
While the Kiwis are considered to be the strongest team in pool ‘B’, both England
and Canada are certainly no push overs and are more than capable of jeopardising
India's medal hopes.
The team had a conditioning camp in Patiala under the supervision of coaches Gurdial
Singh Bhangu and Inderjit Singh Gill to prepare for the meet and have flown into
this northern English city well in advance to get acclimatised to the conditions.
The poor ratio of penalty corner conversions in international meets and the failure
to adapt to the more fast-paced European style of play has been the worrying factor
for the team and it remains to be seen whether these chinks have been sorted out.
The Indian defence has also left much to be desired and the defenders will have to
pull up their socks to counter their formidable opponents. The team, led by Surja
Lata Devi, has a number of talented players like Pritam Rani Siwach, Manjinder Kaur,
Jyoti Sunita Kullu, Suman Balla and Sita Gussain, but has to show the desired
consistency to make an impact at the highest level.
The men's team has not been able to qualify for the Commonwealth Games this time
with the Asian Zone berth going to arch rivals Pakistan.
PTI
