That's what coach Nobbs hasu00a0assured ahead of today's champions trophy

False starts can remain confined to Usain Bolt as Indian hockey coach Michael Nobbs aims at giving India a winning start in the Asian Champions Trophy beginning here in Ordos, China on Saturday. Indian hockey has had a turbulent time recently and the Aussie who was a teammate of Australian coach Ric Charlesworth in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics team aims to give India its stature back in World Hockey.


India hockey coach Michael Nobbs in Bangalore recently. Pic/Satish
Badiger

India plays China which is a tricky opening match. Critics might say that China is not the same team that beat India in the 2006 Doha Asian Games but Nobbs and his boys will have to watch out for the hosts counter-attacking ability and their prowess at converting set pieces. "Most of the teams are good here," said Nobbs, watching his team practice penalty corners. "But we hope to have a winning start and carry the momentum."
Ordos is a city in the making. And so is the Indian hockey team; it's not lost on Nobbs too. "If we win here, we are on the road to progress," he says. "We are hopeful and believe we can do our best."

With Sandeep Singh and Sardara Singh opting out of the Indian team as they had issues with the team management; players like Shivendra Singh, Tushar Khandekar and Arjun Halappa nursing injuries, India has a squad which is bereft of experience and that is where Nobbs believes the team will stand up and play their hearts out. "They don't have anything to lose," he says. "We have a world class forward line. Just give them 3-4 months and they will be among the best sides in the world."

No short-term goals
Some in the Indian hockey fraternity might call it bravado. But Nobbs doesn't set short-term goals. He knows that with the leaving of Sandeep Singh and Sardara Singh, there are holes in the defence. But he does put a lot of trust in the boys. Rupinder Pal Singh and Raghunath were the ones who had his special attention on what was the team's last practice session. "PC's win you matches," he says, constantly yelling out orders on the angle they should be taking. "I know we have a lot of work to do. Preparations were also interrupted as two players left the camp. But we are focusing and we will do it." China are the opponents on the opening day but for the man from Australia, this is just the beginning of India's long hard trek to respectability in world hockey.