Hockey: India ready for Olympics quest

NEW DEHLI: Australian Michael Nobbs faces his first big test as India’s coach as he aims to win the Olympic qualifying tournament starting in New Delhi. India, past masters in the sport with a record eight Olympic men’s titles, suffered a setback when they failed to make it to the 2008 Beijing Games for the first time. The hosts have shown encouraging results since Nobbs took over as coach last June, starting with a victory in the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy tournament in China. “I’m confident provided something doesn’t go awfully wrong and there are no bad umpiring decisions against us,” said Nobbs. “Almost all international teams fear us. It’s the talent that makes the players potent. We’re a naturally attacking side.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 17^th, 2012.