Oz tour, Hockey 9s learning experience for Indian eves: Kumar

Perth: Despite losing out in the final, Indian women`s team coach C R Kumar took positives from his side`s performance in the Lanco International Super Series Hockey 9s, and exuded confidence that the team was heading in the right direction for the Olympic qualifiers.

The Indian eves impressed all and sundry with their performance in the three-nation tournament despite losing 1-4 to Australia in the summit clash yesterday. "I often said that Hockey 9s is a fun variety. This modified version helps to sharpen reflexes and scoring prowess. We also tested our players` readiness to adopt to different formats," Kumar said. "However, our main focus is not this three-nation tournament, but playing against Australia. They are a top team, ranked many steps above us and playing them will help us," he said. "Our target right now is Olympic Qualifiers which will be played on traditional format," he added. The coach also took lightly India`s performance in the final and said his wards failed to exert pressure on Australia yesterday. PTI