India not yet ready to challenge big boys

India finished sixth in the Hockey World League semi-final in London but there is lot of work to be done ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Bhubaneswar

Soumitra Bose


India’s disappointing performance in the Hockey World League semi-final has shown that the team failed to execute their plans on a consistent basis.(Getty Images)

If the Hockey World League semi-final in London was a laboratory for testing India’s bench strength, chief coach Roelant Oltmans will not be a very happy man. The sixth finish in the 10-team competition was the end result of unexpected defeats against Malaysia and Canada at the business end of the tournament that was won by European champions Netherlands on Sunday.