India takes on Bangaldesh

KUALA LUMPUR, MAY 2 India, which was runner-up in 1997 World Cup will aim to qualify for the next edition with the title to boot when it starts campaign in the junior Asia Cup (under-21) hockey championship beginning here tomorrow.

Frontrunner alongwith Pakistan and Korea to seal the three qualifying spots for next year's World Cup to be held at Hobart, Australia, India takes on lightweights Bangladesh tomorrow and look assured of a smooth passage into the last four stage. India is placed in the relatively easy group B, which also has China, Japan, Uzbekistan and debutant Iran while group A looks much tougher with Pakistan, winner of the 1997 edition in Singapore, South Korea and upcoming Malaysia to fight it out.

India, which lost to Pakistan in the last edition, but went on to capture silver in the World Cup held at Milton Keynes is confident it will seal a spot for Hobart at the Bukit Jalil stadium, but is keen to do it by snapping up the title.

``Of course, first I would cement my place in the World Cup, but immediately after that the team would move into the next level, of winning the championship,'' a confident coach C.R. Kumar and skipper and key defender Lazarus Barla, said on match eve.

The Indian team has been bolstered by the inclusion of forwards Gagan Ajit Singh and Deepak Thakur, permanant members of the senior side who played vital roles in the recent title win at the Perth four-nation tournament.

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Section  : Sport
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