When India finished last at the London Olympics, there were serious question marks of why they were given wild card for the Champions Trophy, which is generally played among top eight hockey playing countries.
However, a fourth-place finish in Champions Trophy has proved that India can still compete at the higher level.
The Indians attained the top position in their pool, with victory over England and New Zealand. They also defeated Belgium in the quarter-finals before bowing out to the eventual winners Australia in the semi-finals.
On a disappointing note, arch rival Pakistan defeated them in the bronze medal match by 3-2.
But overall, team has done well enough. Fact remains that there is a long road ahead before the glory days come back again.
‘Success doesn’t come overnight, you have got to work hard for it on a long-term basis and then only you become a champion team,’ said coach Nobbs.
‘It was a good tournament for us and yes, I am satisfied with the way this team, which doesn’t have that much experience in its ranks, came up although there could have been better results.
‘Our defence was very good but it was the forward line that troubled us. Experience is very essential. Look at Pakistan for example: they have Shakeel Abbasi who has 380 matches under his belt and Wasim Khan with 260 caps. Sardar (Singh) is our most experienced player with 150 games. ‘We lacked experience in the forward line and it showed against Pakistan. If you leave the four experienced players from Pakistan out, they would finish last in almost every tournament,’ said Nobbs.
The next assignment for the team would be the Asian Champions Trophy in Qatar from December 20-27.
