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Hockey at CWG 2022: Indian Women's team look to bury World Cup ghosts
Updated On: 28 July, 2022 03:29 PM IST | Mumbai | PTI
The Indian women are clubbed in Pool A alongside hosts England, Canada, Wales and Ghana, while Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Scotland and Kenya complete Pool B.
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A podium finish on its mind, the Indian women`s hockey team would look to bury the ghosts of a disastrous World Cup campaign by steam-rolling minnows Ghana in the Commonwealth Games opener on Thursday. The Indian women are clubbed in Pool A alongside hosts England, Canada, Wales and Ghana, while Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Scotland and Kenya complete Pool B. Just like their male counterparts, the Indian women returned empty-handed from the last edition of the Games in Gold Coast, finishing fourth after being routed 0-6 by England in the bronze medal play-off match. Going into Games, the Indian women must have been haunted by their below-par effort in the recently concluded World Cup in Spain and the Netherlands, where the Savita Punia-led side finished a disappointing ninth.
And the Janneke Schopman-coached side would be desperate to prove that it is a far better side than what the recent results indicate. They would be itching to prove their detractors wrong about the perception that a historic fourth place finish in last year`s Tokyo Olympics was a mere fluke. The Indian women would also be hoping to break their 16-year medal brought in the Games here. The India`s last medal -- a silver -- in CWG came in 2006 Melbourne. The only other medal that Indian women bagged in the Games since hockey introduction in 1998 was a gold in the 2002 edition in Manchester.
Besides the brilliant Olympic campaign, the Indians would also be boosted by their creditable third place finish in their maiden Pro League outing this season. But to finish on the podium, the ninth ranked Indians will have to get the better of world No.3 Australia, fifth ranked England and world No. 8 New Zealand, who are also strong medal contenders. In the last edition of the Games, New Zealand won the gold ahead of Australia and the Trans-Tasman rivals would fancy their chances in this Games too.
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