NEW DELHI: The defending champion having to settle for silver might have been hard to digest but the way in which the Indian women's hockey team played in the Commonwealth Games final against Australia, the medal was worth its weight in gold.
"We played without the services of three key players including skipper Sumrai Tete. But we still matched them for almost the entire match. The future of Indian women's hockey is quite bright," said chief coach M.K. Kaushik.
"Winning a silver is a satisfactory performance considering that Australia is a far better side. We played well and gave a good fight in the final," remarked Tete.
The team's connecting flight from Kuala Lumpur was delayed by more than 90 minutes. And, it took more than an hour to clear the airport formalities.
Crowd delights Tete
It was almost midnight when Tete led the team out of the airport. "I'm extremely happy to see that so many people came to welcome us despite only winning the silver medal," said Tete.
According to Kaushik, the team paid a price for the injuries to strikers Jyoti Sunita Kullu and Surinder Kaur. Kullu had a hamstring pull while Surinder suffered a cut under the right eye during the second league match.
"Nonetheless, there was no shame in losing to a better side. Australia converted an excellent chance, while we missed four good chances," the coach said.
India was the only team to score against Australia during the entire competition. In the opening league match, India was at drawing 2-2 with Australia before going down 2-4.
"Overall it was a fantastic experience and will help us perform better at the forthcoming World Cup in Madrid and the Asian Games in Doha," Kaushik added.
courtesy paktribune.com
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