New Delhi:
Eight-time Olympic champions India's dream of registering their maiden hockey gold in the Commonwealth Games came down crashing as world champions Australia spanked the home team 8-0 to win their fourth consecutive gold in the quadrennial event on Thursday.
The sweltering conditions had no effect on Australia's performance as they proved too strong for the erstwhile Asian giants and completely outplayed the hosts with their power hockey in front a packed house at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
Jason Wilson (19th, 28th minute) and Luke Doerner (34th, 52nd) scored a double each while Chris Ciriello (21st), Simon Orchard (60th) and Glenn Turner (70th) found the net once to rout the hosts.
With this win, Australia reigned supreme winning in all the four editions of hockey competitions at the Games since the sport made its debut in Kuala Lumpur 1998.
The Delhi Games gold also gave the Kookaburras a rare feat as they became the only mens hockey team to have won the World Cup, Champions Trophy and the Commonwealth Games in a year.
Barring the crushing defeat, India can take heart from the fact that in Delhi they have managed to win their maiden Commonwealth Games medal -- a silver and bettered their fifth place finish in Melbourne 2006.
Incidentally, it is India's worst-ever defeat at this ground after the 1-7 drubbing at the hands of Pakistan in the 1982 Asian Games.
New Zealand won the bronze medal as luck ran out for England once they are forced into a tie-breaker.
The Black Sticks beat England 5-3 in the penalty shootout to clinch the bronze after both the teams were locked 3-3 in 70 minutes regulation time.
In the final, Australia showed their class and taught India a hockey lesson, pumping in four goals in each half.
Contrary to the humiliating scoreline, India gave Australia a run for their money in the opening 15 minutes but faded away failing to match the power of their rivals.
The encounter was a fast-paced affair from the onset and the Indians tried their best to slow down the the proceedings after the initial burst.
Initially, India's weak link, the defence, worked hard to sustain the Australian forwards but finally succumbed under continuous pressure conceding as many as three goals within a span on 11 minutes.
The difference between the world champions and erstwhile hockey giants India was in conversion.
Australia converted all their chances into goal while the home team cut a sorry figure when it came to finishing.
India got their first scoring chance in the 14th from a penalty corner but Shivendra Singh turned out to be the guilty as he failed to stop of the ball.
The Kookaburras, on the other hand, made use of the first opportunity as Wilson found the back of the Indian net in the 19th after getting a deflection from Sandeep Singh's stick.
Two minutes later, Australia doubled their lead through Ciriello who spanked the ball on top of the Indian goal from their second short corner.
The scoreline could have been more embarrassing for the home team but luck saved their day from further humiliation.
If that was not enough, Australia virtually sealed the match in their favour with a 4-0 scoreline in the first-half.
Wilson scored in the 28th, courtesy a sloppy work by Indian defenders and then Doerner made it 4-0, a minute before the breather.
Doerner fired in from their third short corner with a low grounded flick to stun the capacity crowd, which also included Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, among others.
The script of the match was no different in the second-half as the Aussies added salt to India's wounds with four more strikes to stamp their authority on the world number one tag.
As was the case in the past matches, the Indians were lacking in fitness in the second-half and were only seen running after the ball with no avail.
The Aussies made merry against the sloppy Indian backline scoring through Doerner, Orchard, Dwyer and Turner.
In between India earned their second penalty corner but as usual Sandeep Singh once again put up a flop show in match situation.