New Delhi, Aug 26: Under fire chief coach Rajinder Singh, who had described the Champions Trophy as the "turning point" in India's quest to regain lost glory, today struggled for words to explain the team's below-par performance in the elite six-nation event in Amstelveen, Holland. Beginning the tournament as one of the title favourites, India performed poorly to return empty handed from the competition recording four defeats and two wins last week.
A dejected Rajinder Singh, who arrived here past midnight with the team from Holland, declined to answer queries on the team's performance.
"I will submit my report to IHF president (K P S Gill)," he told waiting reporters before leaving the airport in a huff.
Skipper Dhanraj Pillay was more forthcoming and said the team will try to rectify the mistakes it committed during the Champions Trophy while preparing for its next campaign -- the Asia Cup in Malaysia next month.
"I admit we failed to get penalty corners. Our defence was also not up to the mark and the forward line made several errors. Probably that is why we lost so many matches in the tournament," Pillay said.
"We will definitely work on these areas in the camp for the Asia Cup," he said.
The team, which had raised expectations with back to back tournament wins in Australia and Germany, struggled in Amstelveen as they finished fourth in the competition.