India’s chances at the Games – Podium finish for hockey?

Prabhjot Singh

Tribune News Service

For hosts India, there are high hopes from hockey. Both men and women teams will be expected to be on the podium in the Commonwealth Games. With mighty Australia looking for its fourth consecutive gold medal in the men’s section and second successive in women’s hockey, India, enjoying the home advantage, also look formidable opponents in both the sections

Though men’s team starts its campaign on Tuesday with a match against Malaysia, women team takes on Scotland in its opener on Monday. Fresh from their best ever performance in the World Cup since 1978 – India finished ninth in the 2010 World Cup in Argentina a few weeks ago -women team hopes to improve upon its Melbourne performance. Eyeing gold, the girls led by mercurial Surinder Kaur of Shahbad Markanda, are bubbling with confidence and enthusiasm.

The star of the Indian team will be Rani Rampal, the second highest scorer of the Argentina World Cup. She missed the distinction of scoring in every game of the World Cup but for the match against New Zealand. She scored seven, including six field goals. Like her captain, she also comes from Shahbad Markanda.

After Bhiwani that is sending 10 Indian athletes to the games here, Shahbad may be a close second with the nucleus of women’s hockey team coming from this small sleepy town on the Grand Trunk Road. Not only the girls, even India’s mainstay in men’s team and crack drag flicker Sandeep Singh also comes from Shahbad Markanda. Indian girls take on Scotland in the opener and have defending champions Australia, South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago in their pool. One of the coaches of the team, Sandeep Kaur, a former Indian captain, too, comes from Shahbad Markanda.

In the men’s section, besides Australia, other teams in India’s pool are Pakistan, Malaysia and Scotland. Richard Charlesworth, the Australian coach, has warning signals for India saying the medal appetite of the Kangaroos is still to be satiated. Kangaroos, the current World Champions – they won the title in new Delhi early this year after a gap of 24 years – are also the current Champions Trophy champions. “We are looking for our fourth consecutive Commonwealth games hockey gold medal,” declares Charlesworth.

Hockey competition will have seven of the team that played in the 2010 World Cup at the same venue in February this year. Some teams, including India, have brought some changes in their line-ups.

India, for example, has taken the risk of including a single regular goalkeeper in its squad. Led by forward Rajpal Singh of Chandigarh, the mainstay of the home team are drag flicker Sandeep Singh, defender Sardara Singh, midfielder Gurbaj Singh and strikers Tushar Khandekar, Shivendra Singh and Rajpal Singh. Though in the opening game of the World Cup, India had beaten Pakistan early this year, the new look Pakistan team under European coach Michel van den Heuvel, looks better than what it was eight months ago. Led by Zeeshan Ashraf, it has a blend of youth and experience. Canada, though in pool B, have also made five changes in the team that played here earlier n the World Cup.

It is not only skipper Rajpal Singh, Ravipal Singh and Dharamveer Singh; hockey competition of the Games will have strong Chandigarh connections also. Satinder Sharma, the only Indian referee to have golden whistle, will be umpiring some of the important games of the event.

Former international and Customs official, Gurdishpal Singh, is a member of the Technical Committee that will oversee the conduct of the hockey competition.