London Olympics: Tough task ahead for Indian men as they start their hockey campaign against Holland

Riverbank Arena, the hockey venue, is finally bustling with activity as India begin first on Monday against The Netherlands, a bunch of top dogs who have been playing together for almost five years, says a report in The Times Of India. The men in orange, ranked third in the world behind Australia and Germany, play a level above the Indians but it will boil down to making opportunities count.

“For India, ranked No. 10 in the world, it is all about punching above their weight. The team is not very experienced and has not played regularly at the top level. What should work for them is the fact that they have key players in key positions to rattle the Dutch. The team trained on the blue turf for the past three months and even played at this venue a month back in a four-nation tournament. The new turf has settled down and should see a fast and furious game of hockey. The key lies in the midfield with playmaker Sardar Singh, who will have to shine like the singer he loves, Chamkila. Sardar will be supported by Gurbaj Singh, Birendra Lakra and Manpreet Singh in the feeder line,” says the report.

Meanwhile a report in Hindustan Times says that after an eight-year break, India renew their quest for the elusive ninth gold medal when they take on the Netherlands in their opening Group A fixture of the Olympic men's hockey competition in London on Monday. The Indians, on a comeback after failing to qualify for the 2008 Olympics, face a difficult task of even reaching the semifinals, much less winning a medal, as they have, besides the Dutch, defending champions Germany, Korea, New Zealand and Belgium to contend with.

As such, there is no respite for the Indians who last beat the Netherlands in the Olympics back in 1984 and Germany in 1968. The Kiwis have always been difficult opponents while it will be a lottery against Korea and a test of firepower against the Belgians. The expectations this time are sky high, thanks to the undue hype over India's qualification to the Olympics after a string of victories against weak opponents in New Delhi earlier this year. The players were showered with goodies as if they had won the gold medal and it was left to coach Michael Nobbs to keep things in perspective.

According to a report in The Hindu, placed in the group which includes the defending champion, Germany, and former gold medallists, the Netherlands and New Zealand, with the usually unpredictable Korea and Belgium, the challenges confronting India are formidable. “Is the squad geared up to face them? The answer is “yes” if the performance level goes notches higher and stays at that plane throughout,” says the report, adding that a detailed investigation of the record will, however, show the bane is one of appalling consistency rate.

“While the overall strength of the defence cannot be portrayed as exemplary, the composition of the mid-field generates a veneer of assurance.  Here everything centres on Sardar Singh, one of the top pivots in contemporary hockey, and his co-ordination with Gurbaj Singh on the right, and Birendra Lakra on the left. The focus, perhaps rightly so, is on Sandeep Singh as the penalty-corner specialist. But how many will India obtain rests on the fluency and finesse of attack in the hands of seasoned Shivendra, Tushar, Chandi and Sunil. So, it all boils down to the link among the layers, defence, mid-field and attack,” says the report.