New Delhi: He guided India to a historic bronze medal in the junior women’s hockey World Cup in 2013, and a year later Neil Hawgood is now eyeing an encore if not better with the senior team in the upcoming Commonwealth Games, beginning on July 23.
The Indian eves could not have asked for a better preparation ahead of the Glasgow Games as they routed Malaysia 6-0 in an away Test series recently to gain confidence.
Taking a lot of positives from this success, Hawgood has set his sights on at least a semifinal finish in the CWG.
“The Malaysia series gave the girls a chance to play Test matches without any pressure. The series gave them an opportunity to express themselves and try out new things. In the end, the results lifted our confidence tremendously,” coach Hawgood told PTI in an interview before boarding the flight to Glasgow.
“The CWG is a big tournament for us ahead of the Asian Games. Our first target is a top 4 finish, if we don’t qualify for the semifinals it will be a big disappointment. In the semifinals anything can happen,” the Australian said.
The CWG will be followed by the Asian Games in South Korea in September-October. (PTI)