Camp for Azlan team begins amidst hope of podium finish

Chennai, June 3 (UNI) With the pressure of putting behind last year's poor performance in the competition, when the team brought up the rear, the 18-member Indian squad for Sultan Azlan Shah hockey tournament beginning at Kuala Lumpur on June 18 embarked on the final preparatory camp here today.

Chief coach, former Olympian V Baskaran, again has on him the onus of inspiring the resurrection of Indian hockey whose development has of late been one step forward, two steps back! Bhaskaran who is adopting some new methods with the objective of increasing the stamina level of each player, like blowing the final whistle seven minutes after the regular hooter, is confident that the fitness level of the players was high. This was achieved at the first phase of the camp for 32 probables at SAI Bangalore.

Bhaskaran had also expressed the confidence that the team would be able to finish on the podium this time during the press conference here when IHF president K P S Gill announced the final team for tourney. He also expressed confidence about penalty conversion rate.

The performance of the team will be all the more crucial as this would form the base team for the World Cup in Germany later this year, as Mr Gill had observed.

The team which will leave for Kuala Lumpur from here on June 11, will play two matches against New Zealand and later against an all Kenyan team, IHF Secreatary K Jyothikumaran told UNI.

The following is the team: Goal Keepers: Adrian D'Souza, Bharat Kumar Chetri. Defenders: Dilip Tirkey(Capt), Kanwal Preet Singh, Sandeep Singh. Mid Fielders: V S Vinaya, Vikram Pillay, Prabodh Tirkey, Bimal Lakra, Viren Rasquinha, Ajmer Singh. Forwards: Arjun Halappa, Hariprasad, Tejbir Singh, Tushar Kandekar, Shivender Singh, Rajpal Singh, Gagan Ajit Singh.

The camp will conclude on June 11.

UNI VV DH PC1830