Eight-times champions India face a desperate fight to avoid missing the Olympics for the first time when they embark on the men's qualifying tournament in Santiago, Chile on Saturday.
A formidable force during a bygone era, India expect to find former champions Britain their biggest threat in the second of three qualifiers, with only the winner progressing to the Beijing Games in August.
Austria, Mexico, Russia and hosts Chile round off the field for the competition in Santiago.
It would be disastrous for India as well as Olympics romantics if India fail to qualify, although Britain, ranked a step higher than their Asian rivals in the world, have done better of late.
Gold medallists in 1988, Britain were fifth at the 2006 World Cup in Germany where India slumped to 11th, a slide that includes seventh place finishes in the last two Olympics.
A formidable force during a bygone era, India expect to find former champions Britain their biggest threat in the second of three qualifiers, with only the winner progressing to the Beijing Games in August.
Austria, Mexico, Russia and hosts Chile round off the field for the competition in Santiago.
It would be disastrous for India as well as Olympics romantics if India fail to qualify, although Britain, ranked a step higher than their Asian rivals in the world, have done better of late.
Gold medallists in 1988, Britain were fifth at the 2006 World Cup in Germany where India slumped to 11th, a slide that includes seventh place finishes in the last two Olympics.
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