Indian men’s hockey team to take on Belgium in Champions Challenge I
After losing an automatic berth in the Champions Trophy, the Indian hockey team is now forced to play the Champions Challenge I, set to take place in Johannesburg, South Africa. In the first assignment, India will take on Belgium, the 12th ranked
team according to the world rankings.
Despite the Indian team not having practice sessions and warm-up games, it is anxiously waiting to open its campaign on a positive note.
Downpour and inclement weather over the past few days hurt their plans and the strategies the Indian players wanted to test in the practice games.
Due to torrential rains and water logged pitches, the warm-up game between India and Malaysia was called off after only 20 minutes of play, while the second match, between India and Canada, did not start at all.
Chief Indian Coach, Michael Nobbs, was not satisfied with the practice-less opening. However, he observed, “It's disappointing, but no team would want to risk injury in such conditions”.
In another drawback, a couple of Indian short corner masters, namely, V Raghunath and striker Sarvanjit Singh caught an altitude illness.
Johannesburg is located over 5,800 feet above sea level, which can make foreign players sick and uncomfortable.
Michael Nobbs commented on the players’ illness, “These two are feeling altitude sickness right now, but will get over that in a few days”.
India is placed at the 10th position in the world’s rankings, the second after Argentina, the 8th placed team according to the ranks.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Indian hockey team, as a host nation, was scheduled to contest the FIH Champions Trophy.
However, the world’s governing body moved the event from New Delhi to Auckland, New Zealand, over the sport’s governing issues in India.
The ongoing dispute between the derecognised Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and Hockey India (HI) was the main reason behind the FIH concerns.
The shift of venue forced India to go for the Champions Challenge whose winner will get a direct berth into the 2012 Champions Trophy.
Conversely, the situation is not as comfortable for India as it should be. The opening game with unfit players and without practice sessions will truly test the endurance of the India team.
The Indians will have to show their true worth if they want to go confidently in the Olympic Qualifiers.
Tags: