Beginning the tour on a positive mood

By S. Thyagarajan

CHENNAI, MAY 30. The mood of buoyancy after the trophy triumph in Dhaka against Pakistan in the Prime Minister's Gold Cup is one positive factor that accentuates optimism when the Indian hockey team embarks on a three-nation sojourn tomorrow. As a preparatory exercise for the World Cup qualifier in Edinburgh in July, the visit to Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand for three weeks in June is invested with more than usual significance.

Aside from the larger issue of keeping the players in a competitive trim, the tours are expected to serve as a denominator to the form of the players. Who among the 21 will make the final 18 for Edinburgh is an interesting point of debate. But the IHF needs a bit of commendation for giving all the 21, now in the camp, an opportunity to test their mettle in different conditions, from Ipoh to Kuala Lumpur to Perth, Auckland and Dunedin. The Government has cleared only 18 but the IHF has decided to meet the expenses of the three more for the tours.

Baljit Singh Dhillon and his 20 players take off tomorrow to Kuala Lumpur for a four Test series against Malaysia under Cedric D'Souza, assisted by C. R. Kumar, Shaji (trainer) and Sidhu (psychologist). Actually, the highpoint of the tour is the visit to New Zealand, traditionally a wonderful host for India since 1926 when the Army team, which included the incomparable Dhyan Chand, portrayed to the Kiwis the hockey ethos of India and the aesthetics associated with it.

Significantly enough, India lost the second Test 3-4 after winning the first at 5-2 and drawing the final match 1-1. India scored as many as 192 goals against the 24 in the 21 matches played with the visiting team winning 18 and drawing two, losing one.

The statistics, fascinating though to highlight the romance of Indian hockey, are brought back to memory that even at this point of time the Kiwis were a force to reckon with despite the presence of Dhyan Chand on the opposite side. So much has happened in the intervening period, the ebb and flow enhancing the dimensions of competitive hockey, with the Kiwis showing the grit and gumption to find a place in the top 12. The previous Kiwi victory against India came in 1988 in the four-nation tournament in Australia.

The last India-New Zealand encounter was in the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament last year (2-1) at Kuala Lumpur where in 1998 India won 3-1 against the same opponent in the Commonwealth Games. New Zealand, which finished tenth in the Utrecht World Cup, next only to India, failed to make it to the Olympics at Sydney. Every effort was made to get into the qualifier in Edinburgh, even to the point of taking up the issue with the Court of Arbitration in Lausanne.

For the New Zealand administration the criteria adopted by the FIH were unacceptable to determine the qualifiers. Bangladesh came in on the Asian quota. However, the administration did not press the issue with the Court of Arbitration presumably on the assurance of getting a bigger competition-Champions Trophy-in 2002.

Quite predictably, the Kiwis are giving the highest priority to the Indian visit which begins with the first Test at Dunedin on June 16 followed by Ashburton, Wellington and Auckland. The Kiwi coach, Kevin Towns, is determined to end the 13-year draught during the tour, if his decision to recall veterans Dion Gosling, who is playing league in Holland, and Darren Smith, a member of the Belgian domestic circuit is any guide. New Zealand is also encouraged by the 2-1 series win against Malaysia in April and the close series for the Manning Cup with Australia. The team drew 1-1 the second Test at Melbourne, losing the first and the third.

Cedric has quite a spread of talent under his command during the tours. As a votary of a strong mid-field, the coach has a flexible variety what with youngsters like Bimal Lakra, M.K.Prakash and Paramjeet Singh calling for attention. In goal- keeping Devesh Chauhan has to be tested while Gagan Ajitsingh gets one more break to prove his talent as much as Deepak Thakur. The return of Jagan Senthil gives the coaches enough scope to experiment in constructing a competent frontline minus Dhanraj Pillay and Mukesh Kumar.

By the time the team reaches the shores of New Zealand, it would have finished a four-match series against Malaysia and a few fixtures in Perth (Australia). The Indians, who leave from here tomorrow, are programmed to play four matches in Malaysia, on June 2 at Ipoh, June 4,5, and 7 at Kuala Lumpur.

Meanwhile, the Indian under-18 team is also slated to fly into Kuala Lumpur tonight for the inaugural Asia Cup from June 1 to 10. Rajinder Singh and Narender Singh have a fairly well equipped squad to stake a high spot in the tournament.

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