Rotterdam: An error-prone India need nothing short of a miracle to secure a direct berth in next year's hockey World Cup as they take on formidable Australia in the quarterfinals of the men's competition of the FIH World Round 3, here on Wednesday.
Six top teams - three each - will qualify directly for the 2014 World Cup to be held in Hague, The Netherlands from the two editions of FIH World League Round 3 - the ongoing event in Rotterdam and then the next one to be held in Malaysia from June 29 to July 7.
But for India it is now looking extremely difficult to be among one of those six teams as in the last eight round world ranked second Australia await them, a side against whom the Indians hold a poor record in the recent past.
India, however, could take heart from the fact that they put up a much-improved performance to eke out a fighting 3-3 draw against higher-ranked New Zealand in their last match to finish third in Pool B with two points....
more
02:51 PM, Jun 18, 2013
Cardiff: Captain MS Dhoni indicated that Dinesh Karthik has more or less "earned" his berth in the playing XI with an unbeaten century in India's crushing win over Australia in a warm-up match for the Champions Trophy, here on Tuesday. "I think he has earned his place in the side and we'll just have to see who misses out when we play against South Africa. I'd like him to play...
10:59 PM, Jun 04, 2013
Raipur: After successfully hosting the home matches of Delhi Daredevils, Shahid Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in all likelihood will get to host an one-day international match when Australia tour the country for a seven-match ODI series. Come September, Chattisgarh State Cricket Association will be completing five years as an Associate Member of the BCCI which will automatically grant them Full Member Status making the venue eligible for international status....
02:12 PM, May 01, 2013
Clarke also feels it's harsh to claim that this is Australia's worst team ever after just one bad Test series against India. ...
12:30 PM, Apr 02, 2013
Shukla feels that Tendulkar should be allowed to retire on his own terms considering the huge contribution the veteran batsman has made to Indian cricket. ...
04:58 PM, Mar 31, 2013
Ishant Sharma feels that he has got his rhythm back after spending the better part of last year on the sidelines due to ankle surgery. ...
05:00 PM, Mar 30, 2013
Chappell pointed out how the Australian batting was exposed in the recently concluded Indian tour. ...
12:57 PM, Mar 27, 2013
Abdul Qadir said he was disappointed to see the quality of some of the pitches prepared in the series. ...
10:40 PM, Mar 26, 2013
Mickey Arthur is under pressure after presiding over the country's heaviest loss in a series in 34 years. ...
09:46 PM, Mar 26, 2013
Shane Watson captained Australia in the fourth and final Test against India recently, but his poor showing does not guarantee him neither his batting spot nor his role as Michael Clarke's deputy for the Ashes, Australia's chairman of selectors, John Inverarity, hinted on Tuesday. ...
12:21 PM, Mar 26, 2013
"It's galvanized our team. Our team responded fantastically well," the Australia coach said on Tuesday. ...
11:49 AM, Mar 26, 2013
Vijay, Pujara, Dhawan, Ashwin and Jadeja all proved thorns in Australia's side while masking over the absence of experienced players in the Test side. ...
11:22 AM, Mar 26, 2013
Despite Australia suffering a humiliating 0-4 Test series whitewash against India, coach Mickey Aurthur is unlikely to be sacked as Cricket Australia has backed him to continue at the job, though the board termed the team performance as "unacceptable". ...
10:04 PM, Mar 25, 2013
Some Indian cricketers let their hair down after their historic whitewash of Australia by zooming and careening around the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) at Greater Noida on Monday morning. ...
05:21 PM, Mar 25, 2013
Tendulkar scored a solid 81 in the first Test in Chennai but failed to score any other big knock in the four-match series against Australia. ...
04:31 PM, Mar 25, 2013
Braving crests and troughs with aplomb, Ravindra Jadeja has emerged as a fine bowling allrounder in Indian conditions. ...
01:56 PM, Mar 25, 2013
After their humiliating 4-0 whitewash in the recently concluded Test series against India, the Australian team has drawn flak from their media back home. ...
11:42 AM, Mar 25, 2013
A look back at the key performers and passages of play which led to India's whitewash of Australia in the 2012-13 Border Gavaskar Trophy. ...
08:20 AM, Mar 25, 2013
While the former Indian captain wants that the youngsters should be given at least two years time to settle down. ...
10:56 PM, Mar 24, 2013
The Australian sports writers came down heavily on the top-order and stand-in captain Shane Watson was hit hardest. ...
10:54 PM, Mar 24, 2013
