C'Wealth Games: Indian hockey eves start as favourites against Scotland

With a hat-trick of podium finish in sight, Indian women's hockey team will seek to start their Commonwealth Games campaign on a winning note against an unknown Scotland in their first Pool A match here tomorrow.

India's eves boast of an impressive record in the quadrennial event, having won medals in the previous two edition of the Games.

They clinched gold in the 2002 Manchester Games after beating England and then followed it up with a silver medal fours years ago in Melbourne.

The eves will be hoping to make it three in a row this time around in front of home crowd at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here.

For that to happen though, they will first have to overcome an unknown entity in Scotland, which has the potential to cause a few upsets in the tournament.

Although he seemed confident of his wards' continued good performance in the show-piece event, India's coach Sandeep Somesh was in no mood to take Scotland lightly.

"Scotland is a pretty unknown force. We haven't played them at the world stage but by no means they are pushovers. They are good side and it won't be an easy game," Somesh said ahead of his wards' tournament opener.

"Our main aim is to win a medal but our first priority is reaching the semis. From there it can go anywhere," he added.

Another factor which might act as a hindrance in India's medal quest is the unsavoury off-field controversies in the recent months, which has taken a toll on the eves' performance level.

If the sex scandal surrounding former coach MK Kaushik was not enough, complaints and counter-complaints reigned supreme shortly before last month's World Cup in Argentina.

But Somesh, who was handed the reins after the exit of Kaushik, said the team has left behind the controversies and was focussed on the job at hand.

"It was unfortunate that the team was embroiled in controversies for all the wrong reasons but the girls were good to respond.

"The team spirit is good and the girls are now focussed on the Commonwealth Games," he said.

India have been placed in Pool A alongside defending champions Australia, South Africa, Scotland and Trinidad and Tobago in the 10-team tournament.

"Australia, New Zealand and England are the best sides and were above us in rankings in the World Cup. But we have played them recently and know what to expect from them," Somesh said.

The Indian eves will also have to recover from their World Cup blues after having finished ninth in Rosario, Argentina.

India lost 1-7 to the Netherlands, 3-6 to Australia and 1-4 to Germany before winning their first match against Japan (2-0) and again losing to New Zealand (3-0) to be placed fifth in the pool. They, however, defeated South Africa (4-3) in the classification match.

In the Delhi Games, India once again would bank upon young Rani Rampal to deliver the goods. The 15-year-old striker was adjudged the best young player of the tournament after she finished second-best with seven goals, six of which were field scores.

"It was great to see the girls scoring so many field goals. Rani has been brilliant in the World Cup and we expect her to carry her form in the Commonwealth Games," the coach said.

India has been awful in set pieces in the World Cup as they wasted as many as 15 penalty corners out of 19 earned and it is one area which the eves will need to work upon in the Delhi Games.

"We do not have specialist drag-flickers. So we will have to get our variations right during the Games," Somesh said.

Captain Surinder Kaur too said that the team had worked upon their mistakes and was looking forward to her second Commonwealth Games medal, but this time the yellow metal.

"We are determined to win the gold medal. We have worked upon our mistakes which we committed during the World Cup, said Kaur, who was part of the silver medal winning side in Melbourne.