We can’t match best sides in just seven months: Brasa

Set to play for the bottom half positions in the 12-team hockey World Cup in New Delhi, India coach Jose Brasa on Saturday said the country would not have played at the same level of top teams in just seven months of preparation.

Brasa, who took up the reigns in June last year, said he was happy with the performance of the side considering the lack of experience and absence of international matches in the build-up to the tournament.
“I am happy with the performance of the team. We are improving since the time I took up the job. We would not have matched the best teams in the world in just seven months of preparation. We were close to the best teams in this World Cup and that is the positive we will take from this event,” he said after India lost narrowly (2-3) to England in their penultimate Pool B match here.

“We played well today… better than against Spain, at the same level against Pakistan and Australia. We deserved a draw today. Had Rajpal Singh scored in the last minute we could have got a point. We now have to play for the seventh-eighth position,” added Brasa who had aimed for a semifinal berth for the team before the tournament.