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Journalism of Courage
India take on Spain in the opening encounter of their Champions Trophy here today.
India, whose best finish was a third place in the fourth edition of the meet in Amstelveen, will have to dish out an exceptional brand of hockey if they have to get the better of the defending champions.
On the eve of the opener, India’s chief coach Rajinder Singh Jr was content playing the waiting game. “Each match is a final for us,” was all he said. Spain coach Mauritz Hendriks, meanwhile, still hasn’t come to terms with the last minute change in the schedule. Earlier, Spain would have locked horns with India in the last league game on December 9. “All our plans have gone haywire. We’ve had to re-strategise as a result of the change,” he fumed.
When asked about the opener against India though, the Spaniard was more forthcoming than Rajinder. “We are preparing hard but at the same time we cannot take any one lightly. We expect the Indians to come hardly at us especially with the support of the enthusiastic crowd,” he said.
Though both teams look set for the opener, a lot will depend on the weather conditions. The met office has issued a warning that Cyclone Fanoos is likely to hit the city.
“It depends on umpires and players and playing conditions. If the ball rolls with great difficulty then the match will be brought to a halt,” Indian Hockey Federation secretary K Jyothikumaran said. But he was confident that the matches will be played as scheduled.
