New Delhi: When the Olympic qualifiers get underway on Saturday at the Dhyan Chand Sports Complex here, few would doubt India's prospect of booking a place in the London Olympics.
In their opening match, Bharat Chetri and his boys will take on Singapore, a last minute replacement for the US and possibly the weakest team in the tournament. Placed 41st in the world rankings, Singapore have come with a group of university students and none of them have ever played an international match.
Except Canada, who are ranked 14th, four places behind India, no team are likely to pose any serious challenge to the hosts. While the Italian team consist of amateurs, who train only thrice a week, the last time France qualified for Olympics was in 1972. No better are Poland, who lost to India 0-7 recently in the Champions Challenge Trophy.
So relaxed are the Michael Nobbs' boys at the moment that skipper Chetri has gone to the extent of saying on record that the first two matches against Singapore and Italy could be treated as friendly encounters.
But there are others who think things might not be that easy. One such person is former India coach, Jose Brasa, present here as the coach of the Ukraine women's team.
"India are the best team, but they need to be careful," warned Brasa. "Though the format of pool-cum-final is designed for India, they have a tendency of losing control in easy matches."
"However, in this format, even if you do badly in one match, there is always a chance to recover in the final. That's the only match India actually need to win," said the Spaniard.
A former national captain, who did not wish to be named, however, wanted to look at things from a different angle. "Why make so much noise about qualification? Is Indian hockey all about reaching the final rounds only?" he asked.
"Our goal should be bigger," he said. "We play hockey not to beat Canada or France but to compete against Australia, Germany or the Netherlands. Are Nobbs' players ready for the actual challenge in London?"
When it comes to the question of making a podium finish in London, Nobbs chooses to tread carefully. "Now, we are thinking only about qualification, an area where we faltered last time," the coach said. "We have a host of junior players, who are improving every day," he added.
No doubt, the Australian coach has inducted a host of youngsters in the squad like Yuvraj Walmiki, Kothajit Singh, S.K. Uthappa and S.V. Sunil.
He has also displayed the courage to exclude seniors, mainly Rajpal Singh and Arjun Halappa. Many felt at least Halappa should have been there to strengthen the midfield but Nobbs said the seasoned campaigner did not fit in his scheme of things. "Our team is a mix of youth and experience and they are gelling well before the qualifiers. The fitness level of the team in on the high and there are no injuries. The team is peaking at the right time," Nobbs said.
Saturday's matches
Men: Canada vs Italy (2 pm); France vs Poland (4 pm); India vs Singapore (8 pm).
Women: South Africa vs Poland (10 am); Italy vs Canada (noon); India vs Ukraine (6 pm).
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