Fresh start for India after CWG failure
CHAMPIONS TROPHY Harendra Singh’s boys take on archrivals Pakistan in the opening match of the tournament they have never won
BREDA, NETHERLANDS: The India hockey team would be aiming for a fresh start, putting behind the disappointment of a poor Commonwealth Games campaign, when it begins its pursuit of a maiden Champions Trophy title, taking on arch-rivals Pakistan in the opening clash, here on Saturday.
Asian champions India have never won the Champions Trophy but will be hoping to claim the feat in the tournament’s last edition here.
The best India have fared in the tournament was the runners-up finish at the 2016 event in London, losing to Australia in a shoot-out.
Claiming the title would be easier said than done for the eight-time Olympic champions as they come into the tournament on the back of a disastrous campaign at the Gold Coast Games, where they finished fourth.
The disappointing finish triggered a change in head coach’s position with Harendra Singh taking charge from Dutchman Sjoerd Marijne, who moved back to his old position as coach of the Indian women’s team.
This year’s edition of the tournament includes reigning Olympic champions Argentina, world no.1 Australia, Belgium, hosts Netherlands, Pakistan besides India. India will open against Pakistan before taking on Argentina (on June 24), Australia (June 27), Belgium (June 28) and Netherlands (June 30).
Even though India (6th) are way ahead of Pakistan (13th) in world rankings, there is hardly any gap between the two teams when it comes to the head-to-head contests.
India-pakistan encounters on the hockey turf have always been full of drama and controversies with adrenaline running high on both the sides.
And come Saturday it won’t be
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any different as both the neighbours would be eager to prove the other wrong.
Going by rankings and recent results, India start favourites. Over the last few years, India have enjoyed victories over Pakistan right from the final of Asian Champions Trophy in 2016 followed by two victories in the Hockey World League Semi-final in London, 2017 and the Asia Cup in Dhaka last year where India lifted the title after 10 years.
But under former India coach and High Performance Manager, Roelant Oltmans, Pakistan surprised India by scoring a late equaliser to earn a draw in the Commonwealth Games this year.
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