Now it is clear. Our women are short of stuff that Beijing would like to welcome. They not only failed to fill up the vacuum that our men created, but also displayed a game that is remarkably below bar.

Indian hockey won’t be there in Beijing. Our girls went down rather easily to the States 0-4 and thus even the theoritical chance we had at our disposal dissisipitated.

The States have always been wary of India. In the past, India ran them close.Be it 2001 Champions Challenge Cup or Perth World Cup play off, India was at their throat.

This day was different. As years wear by, it appears, the States could keep up its momentum while aya ram and gaya ram coaches syndrome, a virus that all of sudden stuck our women hockey (last year Indian women had separate coach for each of the three international assignments) has crippled it.

There is no way to explain the way Indian ladies cowed down and mowed down by States which is hardly two steps up in the FIH Ranking.

As happened in all the previous three matches, India played one half well, while their rivals came prepared for both the halves.

But alas, it was not to be. As if software driven, the States came out with periodical goals, some of them are truly softgoals.

Sequencing the goalmoves fall in a predictable pattern, and it is one that was omnipresent in the whole of tournament the Indians seemed to have dished out for us. Panicky clearance, late reflex, ball watching, double minded actions all rendered rivals job rather easy.

Australian Lee Bodemeade, in charge of States team, must have been a happy man — and reasonably so. Today was a big test for his coaching mettle, as India was supposed to be their rival number one if pre-tournament predictations are any indication.

Strictly speaking why the Indian team meandered the way they are here, because while we stumble at home on many grounds, others move — some slowly and steadily, some very fast.