Acid test for India in opener against defending champion Germany

Monchengladbach, Germany, Sep 5 (UNI) For the well-balanced India, it is going to be a baptism by fire as they take on defending champion Germany to start their campaign with a hope to end the 31-year-long medal drought in the hockey World Cup at Warsteiner Park here tomorrow.

It is going to be a moment of reckoning for the Indian hockey, which is at crossroads, as they face the hosts in the opener of the 11th edition of the event. To the supersititious fans back home, it may sound as bad omen as the national side in their three previous opening encounters against Germany at various tournaments have ended as losers. They lost to Germany 0-3 in the opener of Barcelona Olympics (1988), 1-4 in the inaugural match of the 8th World cup at Utrecht (1998) and earlier this year here in the Easter four-nation tournament they had lost to the hosts 1-4.

''The previous records means nothing because World Cup is a totally different ball game and it all depends on how the team performs at that particular day. I am confident that here my boys will put up a creditable show, '' coach Vasudevan Bhaskaran said.

Bhaskaran also said that his boys are focused and confident.

''They are not overawed by the opposition, because all teams are equally strong and to underestimate any side will prove fatal,'' he argued.

However, Bhaskaran, the tough professional, back at the helm of affairs for the fourth time, realises that this is going to be an ardous task. Since he took over nearly six months ago, India have played two overseas tournaments finishing third on both occassions -- here during Easter and then at Kuala Lumpur for Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in June.

Though the Indians suffered a major setback when they lost the service of their main penalty corner expert, drag-flicker Sandeep Singh who was injured in a freak accident on the eve of their departure to Germany, the team management exudes confidence that replacement R Raghunath, the young Bangalore full back, will be able to deliver. He was the top scorer in the six-nation tournament at Gniezno, Poland which India won earlier this summer. Raghunath was also the leading goal scorer at the PHL tier one at Chandigarh in February and perfomed well in the SAF Games at Colombo.

More UNI HSB AY DB1119