News for celebration by hockey fans as the Indian hockey team and its Australian coach Michael Nobbs are qualifying for the London Olympics, the top-four finish in the quadrennial event that is a tall ask but not impossible for the eight-time champions.
After eight years losing the space in Olympic, India with the men’s hockey team back by putting up a superlative performance and routed France 8-1 in the final of the men’s Olympic qualifiers on Sunday night’s revelry at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
Now India should have to make position from the No.10 position in the world hockey at the London Olympics this summer, July-August to beat Canada, Poland and France, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Pakistan, Argentina, New Zealand and hosts Britain.
However all nations’ teams have already made to London, India also have joined them, but still two more qualifiers will be added to the list in the next two months. The next qualifier is in Dublin from March 10-18 and the third one at Kakamigahara, Japan, from April 26-May 6.
Zafar Iqbal, a member of India’s last Olympic gold medal winning team in 1980, said, “It was an excellent performance from the team. It was heartening to see India play as a team. Full marks to Michael Nobbs for bringing attacking style of hockey back to India.
We Indians are used to play attacking hockey, it is our own style.”
Moreover, Indian hockey team defenders and Australian coach Michael Nobbs with his different philosophy from the Europeans predecessor, needs to address a lot more hard work in the coming months as they have another five months to make good enough to be in the big league.
The former Indian captain, Dilip Tirkey is one of the game’s best defenders who is now a better tackler that boost other defenders to be secure and help to resolve a couple of mistakes to let in a couple of goals in the tournament.
Meanwhile, for India, it is a big boost to prepare for the real test that will starts in summer.
Team should be self prepared for competing with successive remark at the London Olympics this summer because all are worry about the preparation in the coming months at the line-up in London.