Former captain Pritamrani Siwach Writes from Busan

It feels so good to be in a beautiful place like Busan for such a big event. The scenery is lovely with the hills on one side and the seaface on the other, the weather is good, and our team’s raring to go in what I’d call the most competitive tournament that I’ve ever figured in.

A four-team league format may give the impression that a medal is easy to win in women’s hockey. But it’s quite the opposite.

There’s no respite for any team when the other outfits are China, South Korea and Japan. The odd easy match gives you the chance to try out new strategies, to iron out problems. But that’s not possible here. How I wish it were the usual six-team tourney !

China are fresh from their Champions Trophy triumph at Macau, South Korea are the defending champions and Japan are not the ones to be counted out either.

To top it all, our opening match is against China. The Chinese are one team Indians are not comfortable against. They play tough and tight. We’re not used to body play and they leave no chance to have a go at their opponents.

Somehow, I never enjoy playing them. It’s not the fear of defeat, rather the frustration of not being able to play the kind of game you want to. I’d put it like this– we play with our hands and they with their legs. It’s a contest between artistry and power.

The Koreans are much better that way. They create moves and don’t resort to body tactics to stop you. It’s good clean hockey when India and South Korea are playing, and that’s the way it should be.

See China, they scored just seven goals and conceded two in their Champions Trophy campaign. That’s not what you expect from a top team and that’s not what the crowds want.

But we have the satisfaction of having beaten them 2-1 at the Asia Cup two years back. India and China drew 1-1 in the last Asian Games at Bangkok. So, the records certainly don’t upset me. Our disadvantage has been not playing too many Asian teams in the past few years.

The Commonwealth Games at Manchester, England, were different. It was one of our finest victories and that’s how we’re psychologically pepped up. When you win a tournament like that with teams like England and Australia in the fray, you’ve got to be a good team.

The tense moments that we went though at Manchester, including the golden-goal in the final, gives us the confidence of going through tense moments in this tournament.

Since all teams are more or less equal, the team that puts in that extra bit is likely to win. And we hope to do just that.

We’ve played four practice matches with local teams here, including one against a boys team. Our team is doing well, though in practice, you can’t really put in your everything with other teams’ officials there to record your every move.

So, in practice, the penalty-corner conversions are not like they will be at the Games. They are simple during these matches, but I promise things will be much different during the tournament.

The stadium is quite far from the athletes village, but after enduring a one-hour drive, you get a fine turf to play on. The cheering squads that the organisers have managed, too are good for the game, espcially when there are no crowds to watch.

Things are more or less in place and the D-day is round the corner. The four-team league format is followed by the knock-out in which the top two teams play for the gold and silver and the bottom two fight it out for the bronze. Every match is a final in such a tough tournament, but at the same time it gives the chance for revenge.

India have not won a gold since 1982 and the silver at Bangkok last time has been the women’s hockey team’s second best effort thus far. I was a member of that team and also the one that finished fourth at Hiroshima (1994).

I just hope my third time proves lucky and we take home a gold from Busan.

HOCKEY FEATURES