Indian ladies look to bury WC ghosts, search Tokyo inspiration to finish medal drought

A podium end on its thoughts, the Indian ladies’s hockey staff would look to bury the ghosts of a disastrous World Cup marketing campaign by steam-rolling minnows Ghana within the Commonwealth Games opener on Thursday. The Indian ladies are clubbed in Pool A alongside hosts England, Canada, Wales, and Ghana, whereas Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Scotland and Kenya full Pool B.

Just like their male counterparts, the Indian ladies returned empty-handed from the final version of the Games in Gold Coast, ending fourth after being routed 0-6 by England within the bronze medal play-off match. Going into Games, the Indian ladies should have been haunted by their below-par effort within the not too long ago concluded World Cup in Spain and the Netherlands, the place the Savita Punia-led aspect completed a disappointing ninth.

And the Janneke Schopman-coached aspect can be determined to show that it’s a much better aspect than what the latest outcomes point out. They can be itching to show their detractors mistaken concerning the notion {that a} historic fourth-place end in final 12 months’s Tokyo Olympics was a mere fluke.

The Indian ladies would even be hoping to interrupt their 16-year medal drought within the Games right here. India’s final medal — a silver — in CWG got here in 2006 Melbourne. The solely different medal that Indian ladies bagged within the Games since hockey’s introduction in 1998 was a gold within the 2002 version in Manchester.

Besides the good Olympic marketing campaign, the Indians would even be boosted by their creditable third place end of their maiden Pro League outing this season. But to complete on the rostrum, the ninth ranked Indians must get the higher of world No.3 Australia, fifth-ranked England and world No. 8 New Zealand, who’re additionally robust medal contenders.

In the final version of the Games, New Zealand gained the gold forward of Australia, and the Trans-Tasman rivals would additionally fancy their probabilities on this Games. Australia have dominated ladies’s hockey in CWG, bagging as many as 4 gold medals, one silver and a bronze.

While it’s anticipated to be a cakewalk for India of their opening two pool video games towards world No. 30 Ghana, and world No. 24 Wales (on Saturday), the Savita’s aspect will face its first actual problem towards England on August 2 earlier than ending their pool marketing campaign towards No.15 Canada.

With the highest two groups from every pool progressing into the semifinals, India and England are clear favourites from Pool A until one thing drastic occurs. But the latest World Cup has delivered to mild some chinks in India’s armour, which they should handle rapidly.

For Indian ladies, whereas penalty nook conversions stay a significant concern, the ahead line to wants to drag up its socks. In the latest World Cup, the Indians created loads of scoring probabilities from open play in addition to penalty corners however squandered a lot of the alternatives. Coach Schopman would expect a much-improved present from her forwards and drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur. In the opposite Pool A match of the day, Canada will tackle Wales.