Tags:
Journalism of Courage
India beat Malaysia 4-1 in their opening match of the four-nation tournament at Canberra today while Australia were off to a similarly good start with a 4-2 win over South Africa in the other match.
Since the tournament remains a testing arena for the Indian thinktank before finalising the team for the Olympics, a win was important. But Malaysian hockey itself is passing through a crisis. Their team had failed to qualify for the Olympics and the coach of the team 8212; Paul Lissek 8212; was sacked after the Olympic qualification tournament in Madrid, Spain.
During the Olympic preparations, the Indian team will need to play well against the other top teams. They take on World Cup runners-up Australia tomorrow under floodlights and the result will be crucial since the Aussies have already finalised their Olympic probables. In recent tournaments, the performance of the entire team has come under the scanner: When the forwards struggle, the midfield and defence too start cracking under the pressure.
The rhythm among the players in the three areas 8212; forwardline, midfield and defence 8212; that was witnessed at three tournaments in the last one-and-a-half years 2002 Champions Trophy, 2003 Hamburg Masters and 2003 Asia Cup has to return before the Olympics.
Last year, the defending of the team was not always up to the mark but the forwards clicked in most of the tournaments. However, to be a contender for an Olympic medal, India will have to perform consistently. Though they won four titles last year, it included too many loose performances against strong teams, and significantly, they did not beat Holland or Germany.
India have lost both their previous meetings against Australia and have beaten them only twice since 2002. Also, India will be playing South Africa later in the tournament, a country they will also meet in their Olympics pool match. South Africa had beaten India in a Test series held before the 2000 Olympics and also impressed against Spain in the Olympic qualification tournament.
This is where things have to fall in place for India. The grind has just begun for Indian hockey team and they have to be ready for Athens.
