Article by Jay Lokegaonkar, courtesy The Olympic Channel
fter
11 goals in two games against the Russians in the FIH Hockey Olympic
Qualifiers in Bhubanesvar, India booked their berth in the men's hockey
tournament at Tokyo 2020.
The FIH recently announced the pools and fixtures for the hockey
tournament at Tokyo 2020. The men's pools are as follows (world ranking
in parantheses):
- Pool A: Australia (no. 1), Argentina (no. 4),
India (no. 5), Spain (no. 8), New Zealand (no. 9), Japan (no. 15)
- Pool B: Belgium (no. 2), Netherlands (no. 3),
Germany (no. 6), Great Britain (no. 7), Canada (no. 10), South
Africa (no. 14)
The top 4 teams in each pool will qualify for the quarter-finals.
Here, we take a look at the India's pool stage opponents at the Tokyo
2020 men's hockey event.
India vs. New Zealand (25th July)
The 1976 Olympic champions, New Zealand, endured a below par campaign
in the 2019 FIH Pro League. They failed to win a single match out of 14,
losing all but three in the regulation time. and finished last in the
final standings.
Midfielders Arun Panchia, Shea McAleese, Hugo Inglis, and Steve
Edwards form a midfield quartet that boasts of over 1,000 appearances
for the New Zealand.
The Indian defence will be tasked with containing veteran Simon
Child and Stephen Jenness, both of whom have been prolific scorers for
the Black Sticks for the better part of the past decade.
India vs. Australia (26th July)
India's biggest test of the pool stage will come against the world
number one side Australia, who are expected to finish at the top of pool
A. Australia won 16 of the 21 matches they played in 2019, including
both matches against India.
The Australian side is laced with championship pedigree and have a
roster stacked with some of the world's best talents. Co-captains Aran
Zalewski and Eddie Ockenden have both been nominated for the FIH Men's
Player of the Year. Forwards Jacob Whetton and the goal-machine Blake
Govers will be the Kookaburras biggest threats in attack, whereas young
defender Jake Harvie and the experienced Jeremy Hayward will aim to keep
the Indian forwards at bay.
India vs. Spain (28th July)
Spain made it to the Olympic hockey final three times, most recently
at Beijing 2008, where India failed to qualify for the Olympics. Spain
won just 2 of their 14 matches in the 2019 FIH Pro League, which came
against Pool A teams Australia and New Zealand.
India played Spain twice in 2019 in Belgium, and comfortably beat
Spain 6-1 and 5-1.
India vs. Argentina (30th July)
India's second-biggest test of the pool stage (after Australia) will
be against reigning Olympic champions Argentina. Los Leones won 6 of
their 14 matches in the 2019 FIH Pro League.
Argentina has a star-studded talent pool that is led by captain Pedro
Ibarra and defender Gonzalo Peillat. Veteran forward Lucas Vila is one
of the nominees for the FIH Men's Player of the Year. The big-game
experience of defenders Juan Lopez, Matias Rey and midfielders Ignacio
Ortiz, Lucas Rossi will come in handy for Los Leones at the Olympics.
India vs. Japan (31st July)
Host nation Japan will be will be the underdogs in pool A. They are
the lowest ranked team in the tournament (no. 15), and are making their
first appearance at the Olympics after 52 years.
The Samurai side beat Pakistan and Malaysia en route to winning gold
at the 2018 Asian Games, the same tournament where India finished third.
India will be confident of picking up a victory against Japan,
having beaten them three times in 2019 by an aggregate of 15-5.
ndia is
the number 1 ranked team in cricket, but sports is much more than
cricket. Where does India rank on the world sporting stage?
ockey India's Disciplinary Committee
handed over the following punishments to goons and brutes who indulged
in a murderous assault and savage behaviour during the final of 56th
Nehru Hockey Tournament between Punjab Police and Punjab National Bank.
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Photograph of the Month for January 2020 is of Indian hockey captain Rani
Rampal in the Nike advertisement '
rench
sports manufacturer and retailer Decathlon has acquired iconic hockey
brand Dita for an undisclosed amount. Decathlon already sold Dita
products, but is now taking over the hockey brand itself. As the largest
sports retailer in the world, Decathlon can further substantiate its
position in hockey by adding Dita to its in-house stable of hockey kits,
while continuing its partnerships with other international hockey
brands.
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Sports announced its annual end of year sporting awards for 2019.