Plaudits pour in for the winners

NEW DELHI, OCT. 21. The Union Sports Minister, Ms. Uma Bharti, has congratulated the Indian hockey team for winning the Junior World Cup in Hobart, Australia. In her message, Ms. Bharti said that the country was proud of its budding hockey players and hoped that they would maintain the same excellence in the coming international tournaments.

Mukesh hails win:

In Hyderabad, triple Olympian N. Mukesh Kumar hailed the triumph. ``This should be the beginning of a new era of Indian hockey. This side is a very talented side and the need of the hour is not just to celebrate the great win but to plan and groom this talented youngsters into a perfect combination at the senior level as the Malaysia World Cup next year,'' he said.

The star right-winger had a word of praise for Deepak Thakur and Jugraj Singh who he feels are very good inside the `D'. ``No one can take the credit away from the coach Rajinder Singh,'' he added. Mr. H.J. Dora, president of Hyderabad Hockey Association, said ``we always had a feeling that this talented team has the knack of pulling it off in big matches after whatever little we saw in the Test series against Malaysia,'' he said.

Mr. N. Niranjan Reddy, secretary of Andhra Hockey Association, in a message from Guntur, said ``The IHF should be given full credit for having such great faith in the team.'' Mr. Mir Hyder Ali Khan, former chairman of Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh, Mr. L. Venkatram Reddy, secretary of AP Olympic Association, congratulated the team

Big boost, says Negi

In Mumbai, Mir Ranjan Negi, former junior World Cupper and former national hockey coach, foresees that key players like Deepak Thakur, Gagan Ajit Singh, Arjun Halappa will undergo a personality change when given a chance to play for the senior squad.

``The victory is a tremendous boost to the confidence level and self-esteem of the team. Now those juniors who find a place on the senior team will play with a sense of self-belief and responsibility,'' he told The Hindu on Sunday.

The ex-India custodian, who has been both a junior and senior international besides being associated with the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games team as the goalkeeping coach said, ``India's absolute victory at Hobart is a sign that hockey is alive in this part of the sub-continent despite the odds like lack of astroturf surfaces.''

Negi noted the ability of the boys to come back from difficult situations and hold their own against tough international sides like The Netherlands, Germany and Argentina in back-to-back matches.

Gill all praise:

Indian Hockey Federation chief K.P.S. Gill said the success of the team lay in its ability to adapt itself to adverse weather conditions and play quality hockey against every side.

``Everyone whom I met after the match spoke of the very high standards the Indians displayed during the final.... The most important thing was the self-confidence they displayed and the will power,'' Gill said.

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