India Aim to Continue Resurgence in Hockey World League Final

The Indian team has improved by leaps and bounds in recent times but the hosts will have to be at their best when they face Argentina in the opening match of the Hockey World League (HWL) Final on Friday.

India are placed in a very tough Pool B alongside World Number five Argentina, World Number two the Netherlands and World Number three Germany.

Under High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans, who is also doubling up as the chief coach of the team, India have shown significant progress in the recent past to jump two places to sixth in the world rankings.
In the run up to the tournament, the Indians toured New Zealand and defeated the Black Sticks 2-1 in the Test series.

The Sardar Singh-led side also produced a commendable performance in the preparatory three-Test series against world champions Australia which they lost on a deciding penalty shoot-out.

But all said and done, the Hockey World League Final will be a completely different ball game as the top seven teams in the world will be seen in action. Besides India, Argentina, Germany and the Netherlands, the tournament also features World Number one Australia, Great Britain (4), Belgium (7) and Canada (14), who feature in Pool A.

Interestingly, all the eight participating teams have already qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics and the tournament will give each side a fair idea as to where they stand with little over nine months left for the quadrennial event.

Besides the trophy and a rise in world rankings, the Hockey World League Final offers an added incentive to the competing teams as the winner will directly qualify for the 2016 Champions Trophy to be held between June 4-12 in San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina.

Apart from the tournament-opener between India and Argentina, the opening day will also witness the famous European rivalry between Germany and the Netherlands.

Going by the world rankings, it is expected to be a close duel as India are placed just one rung below Argentina (5).

India, who finished fourth at the Hockey World League Semi-Final in Antwerp, would definitely be looking to impress in front of their home fans.

The 18-member Indian squad will be led by midfield mainstay Sardar Singh while star goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh will be his deputy.

India's wall of defenders comprises Birendra Lakra, Kothajit Singh, Jasjit Singh Kular, V.R. Raghunath and Rupinder Pal Singh.

The presence of Raghunath and Rupinder make India a potent force in penalty corners as well.
Sardar, alongside Chinglensana Singh Kangujam, Devinder Walmiki, Manpreet Singh, Dharamvir Singh and Danish Mujtaba would man the midfield while S.V. Sunil, Ramandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Talwinder Singh and Mohammad Amir would lead India's attack.

The hosts, however, would miss the services of strikers Nikkin Thimmaiah and Lalit Upadhyay, both ruled out of the tournament due to injuries.

Pan American champions Argentina, however, would be a tough nut to crack for the Indians.

Since winning the bronze medal at last year's Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands, the 'Los Leones' have climbed to fifth place in the world rankings thanks to the Pan Am Cup success and a second place finish in the Hockey World League Semi-Final in their own backyard in Buenos Aires.

 PTI