Indian women’s hockey team in tough World Cup pool

CHENNAI: India are placed in Group A along with defending champions the Netherlands in the 2010 women’s hockey World Cup to be held in Rosario, Argentina, from Aug 29 to Sep 11.

According to the Federation Internationale de Hockey (FIH), besides India, who finished 11th in the last edition, and the Netherlands, who are also the Olympic champions, Group A includes 2006 finalists Australia, Germany, New Zealand and Japan.

Group B comprises Argentina, China, Spain, England, South Korea and South Africa for the 12-nation competition.

The participants were allocated into two pools of six teams each based upon the latest ABN AMRO World Rankings.

The teams ranked first and second of each pool after the single round robin preliminary phase will proceed to the semifinals.

The pools:

Pool A: The Netherlands, Germany, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, India.

Pool B: Argentina, China, Spain, England, South Korea, South Africa.