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Indian hockey team finishes at the bottom

India suffered its third successive defeat as they went down 1-3 to hosts Australia in the four-nation Australia Cup hockey tournament in Canberra yesterday.

Ben Taylor and Micheal Brennen, who scored twice, were the scorers for Australia. India's lone scorer was Samir Dad.

In the earlier match on the final day the tournament, Canada scored eight seconds from time to draw 1-1 with South Korea and emerge champions in their inaugural visit to the tournament.

India finished at the bottom of the four-team league, with South Korea taking the second place and Australia the third.

Indian coach V Bhaskaran was disappointed with the chances his team missed. "In the first half we should have put away a couple of goals,'' he said.

But Bhaskaran was happy with the way his youngsters shaped during the tournament. He said Sukhbir Singh Gill, Anwar Khan, Deepak Thakur, Jude Menezes, the whole lot of young players, are playing well and should be given more exposure.

Though India ended at the bottom in the tournament, Bhaskaran is optimistic about the team's chances in the Olympic test event in Sydney this week.

"I am sure we can win one or two games in Sydney next week as the players are better prepared mentally and physically than they were in Canberra.''

Asked if he believed India was unlucky not to be awarded a penalty-stroke in the first half, Bhaskaran said, "I would not like to comment on the umpiring because it is part and parcel of the game. We have to accept decisions and I don't want the players to keep those things in their minds.''

Australian coach Terry Walsh was disappointed that India played so defensively. "It disappoints me when a team like India, which is so extraordinarily talented in being able to bring the ball forward, puts everyone back to try to stop the opposition from scoring goals than scoring the goals themselves. Perhaps the game's rule makers need to address where they are going,'' he said.

Walsh added: "From world hockey's perspective it is important that Indian hockey can get its act together and become a competitive international team, and I think they have the talent to do that quite comfortably. World hockey cannot continue to have such a world power languishing.''

UNI