Hockey Olympic Qualifier: India’s quest for Road To London begins today

India begin their quest for a place in London Olympics at the Major Dhyanchand Hockey Stadium on Saturday. Still haunted by what happened four years ago when India failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics in hockey’s 80-year history, the hosts face Singapore in an easy opening match but all will hope they stay on top of their game till the end of the tournament.  Given the hockey tradition in the country -India have won eight Olympic titles -the home team enjoys a huge advantage in every aspect. With the vast experience at its disposal, the Indian players wouldn't find difficult to conquer the team from the tiny Southeast Asian island state that is still in the process of expanding the game among the community, writes Hindustan Times.

Although the hosts are fancied to win the tournament due to the relatively weaker field, India's Aussie coach Michael Nobbs is leaving no stone unturned as far as preparations are concerned. With action set to start, Nobbs is particularly satisfied with the fitness levels of players with special focus on putting them on the right diet, says the HT report.

Meanwhile, The Hindu writes that the scenes could be spectacularly diverse for sure at the end of the Olympic qualifier at the National Stadium here. “Lowered heads, drooping shoulders and sticks dragged, if India loses. Or untiring smiles, a huddle marking the joy of a victory and rapturous celebrations by a packed house if the host excels. Only the winner of the event will take the ‘Road to London.' Over the next nine days, through six matches, the Indian hockey players will face one of the toughest tests in their quest for a ticket to the London Olympics,” says the report.

The Indian Express writes that considering the weak opposition, India in all probability would be planning their London trip on February 26, the last day of the qualifers but Nobbs is wary of occasional and unexpected potholes on the way. Since India play the lowest ranked team in the tournament Singapore first up, the coach will get a chance to run a quick check around his plans in a match situation before taking on the relatively stronger teams like Canada, Poland and France. Looking at the bigger picture, the tournament in general will be a test of Nobbs's belief that old hands can't take India to the Olympics. Untested and having made their debut only a couple of weeks ago, the likes of Kothajit Singh and SK Uthappa, both in their early 20s, have got the nod ahead of seniors like Arjun Halappa and Rajpal Singh and will have to prove their worth and coach's faith in them.

According to The Times Of India, still tortured by their failure to qualify for the Beijing Olympics four years ago, a much-chastened — and hopefully, much-improved — Indian team will hit the Major Dhayanchand National Stadium turf in search of some redemption from Saturday.   “Having to see the team that won Olympic gold a record eight times, fight it out with ‘lesser mortals’ of world hockey for a berth in the London Games this summer, takes some getting used to. But then, that’s Indian hockey for you. Bharat Chetri’s team — coached by the affable Aussie Michael Nobbs — prepared late under the stadium lights on Friday for their opening match of the six-nation qualifiers,” says the report.

Meanwhile, unlike the men, who start the Olympic qualifiers as favourites, the Indian women's hockey team will have to compete hard with South Africa to book a berth in the London Games. To their advantage, however, is the fact that they know these home conditions better than anyone else.  Ranked just a spot behind South Africa at 13, India last played on the Olympic stage in the boycott-ridden Moscow Games in 1980. Asunta Lakra's girls, as can be expected, are in no mood for yet another miss.  "Everyone is motivated. A win in the qualifiers will change the scenario of women's hockey in the country," coach CR Kumar said.