The heat wave prevailing in Amstelveen might have left the locals gasping, but the conditions could well help India break their jinx in the Champions Trophy which begins on Saturday.
The Indians, who are yet to win the trophy in nine attempts, will start their campaign at the Wagener stadium on Saturday, when they take on hosts and Olympic champions Holland.
The weather conditions might not count for much on the morrow, but the Indian players certainly revelled in the sunshine and were a picture of confidence as they prepared for the acid test of individual as well as collective ability.
Fortified by recent victories Down Under and Hamburg, coach Rajinder Singh feels the team is right on top as far as confidence is concerned.
Looking ahead to the team's opening game against the Dutch, he predicted a tight match.
"I expect a close match. We do have some plans for the Dutch, but obviously, I am not going to reveal them now. You will see for yourself tomorrow. All I can say is that we will obviously stick to our attacking style," he said.
As regards the composition of the 16, Rajinder said he will wait till the last moment before deciding on the two to be dropped from the contingent of 18.
"We have time until one hour before the match to announce the 16. So, I am giving it a lot of thought and will decide tomorrow," he said.
The Dutch will be looking to capitalise on the obvious home advantage, and given the might of their team, they start out as hot favourites.
Though they find the weather conditions a touch too hot for comfort, they will be riding popular support that is sure to lift the players.
Not for nothing that the Champions Trophy tournament is always regarded as the toughest event in international hockey. None of the coaches is willing to even make a guess, much less a prediction, as to which of the six teams would win the title on August 24.
Dieter Schuermann of the German team said he will wait until the first round of matches before he can predict anything, while echoing the sentiments of Pakistan coach Tahir Zaman.
World Cup winners Germany are fielding a "development team", a move that attracted strong reaction from the International Hockey Federation. But Schuermann defended the decision by saying that the side has its sights trained on qualifying for the 2004 Olympics in Athens by winning the forthcoming European Nations Cup in Barcelona.
Australians have brought a team that is strong on experience, but not lacking in powerful legs with several young players in the squad. The team spent a few days in Athens, where they played a few practice games at the Olympic venue before coming here.
Most experts here reckon that it will be a toss-up between the Dutch and the Aussies for the title. Holland toured Australia earlier this year for a five-Test series and lost 0-3 with two matches drawn.
A pacy Australia won the final Test 6-1, a result that the Dutch will be keen to avenge.
Pakistan, on their part, have had their share of problems, but Zaman said the team is now very focussed.
We did not have some of our players for the tri-nation event in Australia earlier this year. They had commitments in the German league. But now that they are back in the team, I think we should do well here," he said.
The sixth team in the fray, Argentina, is an unpredictable lot. They are making their first appearance in the tournament, but on their day, can be a handful. As such, no team is putting anything past these moody South American champions.
Tomorrow's fixtures: (all times in IST)
Pakistan vs Australia (4 pm)
India vs the Netherlands (6.30 pm).
