India hockey coach Sjoerd Marijne: We're favourites against Pakistan today

Sjoerd Marijne

A sporting clash which is never short of political undertones, India and Pakistan will be up against each other in their Commonwealth Games hockey opener here today - a match touted as the blockbuster showdown of the preliminary stage. "We start favourites," declared India coach Sjoerd Marijne after his two-time defending silver-medallist team's practice session here yesterday.

More than the politics though, Marijne was concerned about the high temperatures in Gold Coast for their Group B match. "It's really hot, 28-29 degrees and we play at 2:30pm (local time), so, that will be difficult circumstances. That's why we have to stay calm for ourselves," he said.

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