The boys are raring to go

BUOYED BY the success of the senior Indian team in the pre- Olympic hockey tournament in Australia recently, there is a spring in the steps of the India hockey officialdom. And understandably so as success, despite the promises, have been few and far between.

After the title triumph at the '95 Azlan Shah tourney the only redeeming factor for the seniors was the gold medal at the Bangkok Asian Games in '98. A tournament win, even if only a four nation affair in an Olympic year is thus to be taken as a positive step towards greater glory. Brushing aside Australia, Germany and South Africa is no mean achievement, though it could be said that most of the teams are still in the process of experimenting.

But then so are we. Indian hockey is yet to gain the firm foothold it once had and in search of the right balance one can understandably be piqued at the chopping and changing of the combinations. Even the latest outings, though a triumphant one had a few shortfalls and this would be what the coaches and the think tank would look to rectify as the junior India (under-21) team embarks for the 12-day Fourth Asia Cup championship to be held at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia from May 3 to 14. The top three teams in the tournament would qualify for the junior World Cup to be held in Hobart (Australia) in September 2001.

India's stature in world hockey sure has slipped a few notches. But in continental championships - be it at the senior or junior level - India still enjoys a high ranking. Having qualified for the junior World Cup in two of the three previous attempts, the only failure coming in the inaugural Asia Cup at New Delhi ('95); the onus now is on the C.R. Kumar coached boys under the stewardship of senior international Lazarus Barla.

Five of the present squad - captain Lazarus Barla, goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan, midfielder Bimal Lakra and forwards Gagan Ajit Singh and Deepak Thakur - have all had a stint with the senior team in the recent past and this experience should stand them in good stead in the days to come.

``True the absence of Anurag Raghuvanshi in the defence and Daljit Singh Dhillon up front, will be felt,'' admitted the coach. ``But then with both yet to reach match fitness, it's only wise to rest them now and avail of their services during Olympics, which has greater significance,'' said Kumar.

``Despite the absence of Anurag and Daljit, it's a well balanced side,'' said coach Kumar, in a chat with TheHindu,during a practice session, on the prospects of the Under-21 team making an impact. ``But for the seniors in this squad the others have had just two international tournaments for experience and this is the only sore point. But at the same time the team has versatility. I can play any of the players in any position - be it as a schemer, attacking midfielder or a withdrawn one as the need be,'' claimed Kumar. And to prove his point midfielder Arjun Halappa was switched to the striker's role while Shamsuz Zoha and Bipin Fernandes changed positions to be more effective in the midfield.

Conceding that India is in a relatively easy pool ( Group `B') along with China, Japan, Iran, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan as compared to pool A: Pakistan, South Korea, Malaysia, Oman, Singapore and Chinese Taipei, coach Kumar, however, would not discount the Japanese and Chinese teams. ``The two nations have enviable junior academies. And if you look at the margin of defeats that Japan has suffered in the last senior Asia Cup and Asian Games, it's narrowed considerably. They have lost, true, but after playing well and by close margins,'' said Kumar.

``Making it to the semifinals of the Asia Cup and qualifying for the World Cup would not be tough,`` echoed captain Lazarus Barla, the only member of the team that finished a creditable runner-up in the junior World Cup at Milton Keynes in 1998. ``The team we have this time is as good as the one that played then, and there is no reason why we cannot do well this time. In fact my aim is to finish in the medals bracket of the World Cup, '' added Barla. Barla along with Len Aiyappa should be manning the deep defence with Bikramjit Singh and Kanwalpreet Singh for back up. ``Len (from Karnataka) is as good as any in the flick-scoop in penalty corner variations,'' commented the coach.

The midfield too looks adequate with Bimal Lakra playing the central role. Paramjit, Bipin and Shamsuz along with T.R. Nataraj and Prabodh Tirkey being impressive while the `gangling' Gagan Ajit Singh and Deepak Thakur will have the highly skillful Arjun Halappa playing alongside and Inderjit Singh with his pony tailed `hair-do' along with Prabhjot Singh and Amarjeet Pratap should provide the support cast in the attack force.

With Devesh Chauhan going as the understudy to the fast improving Jude Menezes in the goal for the senior Indian team in the recent Australian tour, the goalkeeping department too gained a semblance of experience. ``Both Devesh and Bharat Chetri look confident and are positive when they charge out,'' said Brient Edward, the goalkeepers' coach. Brient also the coach of the local ITI team, who will be accompanying the team to Kuala Lumpur, sounded satisfied with the improvement the two have shown during the camp, here.

Coach Kumar predicts at least three to four players, besides the five who are already doing duty in the senior ranks, graduating into the higher grade in the immediate future. ``The certain voids in the senior team could well be sealed, with some of these boys making it to the Olympic camp,'' felt Kumar.

All in all, the team is raring to go and should come back with laurels to complement the senior team's showing and the double triumph could do a world of good to the otherwise sagging morale of IHF in the Olympic year.

AVINASH NAIR

Bangalore

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