Men’s hockey team eyes medal after having returned empty-handed last timeBENGALURU: The script for the Indian men’s hockey at the Commonwealth Games hasn’t panned out the way they would have wished for. Since the introduction of the sport at the quadrennial event in 1998, Australia have won gold on all six occasions. India came close twice – in 2010 and 2014 – before being outplayed by the team from Down Under.
This edition of the event beginning in Birmingham on Friday was not on the priority list until the Asian Games were postponed by a year. With a full squad and an eye on bettering their performance in the competition, Manpreet Singh and Co landed in Birmingham earlier this week.
Having lost to England 1-2 in the bronze medal playoff and returned empty-handed in 2018, India are keen to make amends.
India’s history at the Commonwealth Games
On the lessons learnt from the Gold Coast debacle four years ago, skipper Manpreet said, “In the last CWG, things didn’t go our way. We underestimated a few teams like Wales in the group stage. In this edition we want to win a medal. We won’t underestimate any team. In every match we will focus on our game plan and give our best.”
India, ranked fifth in the world, are in Pool B alongside Ghana, England, Canada and Wales.
Manpreet, who will feature in his landmark 300th match in India colours when the team takes on Ghana in its tournament opener on Sunday, stressed that the team had dealt with the weight of expectations as CWG will be the team’s first major outing after the bronze-winning performance at the Tokyo Olympics last year.
Chief coach Graham Reid broke down the pressure factor and explained, “I don’t think anybody’s expectations from us are more than what we have from ourselves. We have high expectations of what we want from ourselves as a team and individually and that keeps up the pressure on us in a good way.”
On the external pressure, the Australian added, “When it comes to hockey, people talk about medals every time India goes to an event of any description. We can’t do much about external pressure.”
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In Pics – India’s 2018 CWG medallists all set for Birmingham glory
Show Captions
<p>The 22nd edition of the Commonwealth Games opens in Birmingham on Thursday, bringing together around 5,000 athletes from 72 nations and territories to compete in 19 sports over 11 days.(Getty Images)</p>
<p>This time 200-plus Indian athletes will be in the fray in Birmingham. Out of them, quite a few have successfully landed on the podiums in the past and once again will be favourites for a medal finish. (PTI photo)</p>
<p>Star Indian wrestler and Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia, who won a gold in the 2018 Gold Coast Games will be eying a second consecutive podium finish in Birmingham. Bajranj, competing in the 65kg freestyle category will be one of the favourites for the gold in the category. (Photo credit: Twitter)</p>
<p>India’s pride in women’s wrestling, Vinesh Phogat won a gold at the 2014 edition and followed it up by another gold in the 2018 edition of the Games. In the 53kg weight category, Vinesh is all set to give a tough time to her opponents. (Photo credit: UWW)</p>
<p>Shuttler Kidambi Srikanth was 25 when he grabbed a silver in the Gold Coast edition. A much more experienced and fiestier Srikanth, this time will be leading the men’s team and will target the top finish at the podium. (Reuters photo)</p>
<p>A bronze in 2014 and a silver in the 2018 Games, the flag-bearer of the Indian women’s badminton, PV Sindhu will be desperate to lay her hands on the gold medal when she begins her campaign in the upcoming Birmingham Games. (AP photo)</p>
<p>In the last edition of the Games, Amit Panghal settled for a silver in the Light Flyweight category. This time the 26-year-old will be competing in the 51kg category and will be desperate for an upgrade in the medal color. (Reuters photo)</p>
<p>With a whopping 8 medals in 4 Commonwealth Games appearances, Achanta Sharath Kamal, 40, will once again look to produce some power-packed performances for India in table tennis. Sharath will be competing in men’s singles, doubles, mixed doubles and team events. (IANS photo)</p>
<p>In the 2018 Gold Coast Games, paddler Manika Batra bagged a total of 4 medals — golds in women’s singles & women’s team events, silver in women’s doubles and bronze in mixed doubles. The 27-year-old will once again be a top medal hopeful across multiple events. (Photo credit: ITTF)</p>
<p>The power-packed pair of Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal Karthik has been phenomenal for India in squash and has done pretty well at the multi-sporting events. Silver medallists in Gold Coast, the pair will once again be a top medal prospect for India. (Photo credit: Twitter)</p>
<p>The Olympic silver medalist and a two-time CWG podium finisher, Mirabai Chanu will be among the top contenders for a gold medal at this year’s Games. The 27-year-old will take the centrestage in the 49kg category. (Photo credit: Olympics)</p>
If India get past the league stage, stern challenges await them but none bigger than Australia.
In the 128 matches the two teams have played against each other, Australia have won 85 while India have topped in 22 contests with 21 matches ending in a draw.
Apart from skill, one of the key elements to get past Australia, according to Reid, will be India’s mindset. “One thing that we would never do is take Australia lightly. Everyone puts Australia on a pedestal and rightly so since they have won a lot over the years. But to be able to beat them, we need to change our mindset and understand that we are also good and can compete at the highest level,” Reid pointed out.
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