Daunting task for women's hockey team

Having failed to win a single medal in the Commonwealth Games, the Indian women's hockey team will be determined to reverse the trend in the 17th edition in Manchester.

However, it will need a stupendous effort to break the medal drought as India have to contend with Commonwealth powerhouses like Australia, England and Canada.

The team came within sniffing distance of a bronze medal at the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur but a defeat in the semi-finals saw them return home empty-handed.

The girls will need more than luck to change the script this time in the eight-team championship, beginning at the Belle Vue Regional Hockey Centre on Friday.

India, who failed to make it to the women's World Cup, after losing 1-3 to the United States in the third and final qualifying play-off match, in London in June, have been placed in the tough Pool B alongwith strong contenders New Zealand, hosts England and Canada.

Defending champions Australia, Scotland, South Africa and Jamaica are clubbed in Pool A.

The championship will be played on a league-cum-knock out basis, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the semi-finals. The final is slated for August 3.

India open their campaing against Canada on Friday and then take on New Zealand two days later. They play their last group league match against England on July 29.

While the Kiwis are considered to be the strongest team in Pool B, both England and Canada are certainly no pushovers and are the ones who could jeopardise India's medal hopes.

The team had a conditioning camp in Patiala under the supervision of coaches Gurdial Singh Bhangu and Inderjit Singh Gill to prepare for the Games and flew into this northern English city well in advance to get acclimatised to the conditions.

The poor ratio of penalty-corner conversions in international meets and the failure to adapt to the more fast-paced European style of play has been a worrying factor for the team and it remains to be seen whether these chinks have been sorted out.

The defence has also left much to be desired and the defenders will have to pull up their socks to counter their formidable opponents.

The team, led by Surja Lata Devi, has a number of talented players like Pritam Rani Siwach, Manjinder Kaur, Jyoti Sunita Kullu, Suman Balla and Sita Gussain but has to show the desired consistency to make an impact at the highest level.

The men's team is not at Manchester as it >did not qualify. The Asian Zone berth went to Pakistan, who finished fourth at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and emerged as the highest ranked Asian nation.