INDIA AIMS FOR BRIGHT START IN HWL
Take on Australia in HWL opener today
India will look to continue their good run under new coach Sjoerd Marijne when they take on defending champions Australia in their opening match in the Hockey World League (HWL) Final at the Kalinga Stadium here on Friday.
India finished third in the last edition of the meet, losing to the Netherlands 2-3 on penalties after both teams were locked 5-5 in regulation time.
Under new coach Sjoerd Marijne, a young Indian team would be playing at home for the first time.
"No pressure, nothing at all. Before the match I will prepare them to the best of my ability but I cannot control the outcome of the game. So, when I walk out onto the field on Friday, I will just enjoy the crowd," the coach had said when asked about pressure before the first game.
To name a few, India have the likes of Harmanpreet Singh, Dipsan Tirkey, Sumit Varun Kumar among the young faces for this competition.
"All the young players have potential and that's why they are with the team. Now it's normal for most of the youngsters to reach a high level and then fall. But what's important is how they cope with the fall and learn from it because with all the expectations, it's normal for them to fall at times," Marijne said.
"It's about the mindset and belief. You have to believe that you can win and the team is doing that. We will have to show that on the pitch. It will not be easy but we are up for the challenge," said the Dutchman when asked about India's disappointing international record against other seven participating teams of the HWL Final.
India will have to fight it out against top teams like Australia, Netherlands, Germany, England, Belgium, Argentina and Spain in the HWL final
The Asia Cup victory was the perfect start to the tenure of Marijne, who will be hoping his side can reproduce that excellent form.
The winners of the event in Bhubaneswar will also guarantee qualification for the Men's Champions Trophy 2018, which will take place in the Netherlands in June/July.
Barring a few occasional losses, India have been ruling the roost in the continent, the most recent among the triumphs being the Asia Cup crown in Dhaka earlier this year.
But once a giant of the game with as many eight Olympic gold medals, India would be striving to ensure that they are seen as more than a regional bigwig.
Against world No. 2 Australia, India have had limited success in recent times. India have lost to the Kookaburras in the Champions Trophy, Azlan Shah and Commonwealth Games in the last few years. And it would be a Herculean task to upstage the mighty Australians in the opening game of the eight-nation tournament featuring all the top teams of the world.
The HWL final, in fact, will be the first real test for Marijne, who took over just two months ago from the legendary Roelant Oltmans. Marijne might have tasted success in his first assignment -the Asia Cup -- but the HWL Final will be a completely different ballgame for him.
Since taking charge, Marijne hasn't made any major change to the playing style or strategy of the team.
Instead, the only new thing or idea he has brought into the side is letting the players decide the style of hockey they want to play. He has focussed on backroom preparation, a method which has put more responsibility on the shoulders of the players.
Marijne's style of working seems to be delivering at least going by the results of the Asia Cup, a title which India won after 10 years, beating Malaysia 2-1 in the final.