Indian hockey team will focus on fitness: Bhaskaran

Hyderabad, July 31(UNI) The World Cup-bound Indian hockey probables will be focusing on their fitness in Hyderabad camp before shifting their base to Chennai for the final phase of training and match practice.

Talking to newspersons here today, V Bhaskaran, the chief coach said, ''Our main focus will be on player's fitness. We are taking the services of Aussie trainer Dereck Knox to prepare our players physically ready for the Quadrenniel tournament at Monchengladbach, Germany, in September, 2006.'' Bhaskaran said ''After the 11-day camp at Hyderabad, the camp will be shifted to Chennai for match practice, where at present the SAF Games-bound Indian hockey team is undergoing training. At present we did not have any full-time schedule. We would slowly and gradually increase the tempo.'' .

The probables assembled earlier at Bangalore and reached here this morning by flight. The players had a brief practice at Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh(SAAP) Hockey Complex in Gachibowli.

Except for Tejbir Singh, others attended the camp. Singh is expected to join his teammates later.

The Indian captain Dilip Tirkey and other senior players were trying to concentrate on their fitness by toiling hard on the austro turf.

Having won six Olympic golds on a trot and again at Moscow Olympics in 1980, under the leadership of the present coach, India is looking forward to improve their image. It remains to be seen, whether this Indian team will repeate the 1975 World Cup victory at Kuala Lumpur under the leadership of Ajit Pal Singh.

The training camp was inaugurated by State Sports Minister M Satyanarayana M S Raj Thakur, Chairman of SAAP, G Kamala Vardhana Rao, MD, SAAP, G Umesh Kumar, Hyderabad Hockey Association(HAA) President, among others attended the function.

Team: Goal Keepers: Bharat Chetri, Adrian D' Souza.

Full Backs: Dilip Tirkey, Kanwalpreet Singh, Sandeep Singh and Harpal Singh.

Half Backs: Vikram Pillay, V S Vinay, Prabodh Tirkey, Ignace Tirkey, Viren Rasquinha and Nitin Kumar.

Forwards : Gagan Ajit Singh, Arjun Halappa, Rajpal Singh, Tushar Kandekar, Hariprasad, Sivender Singh and Tejbir Singh.

Chief Coach : V Bhaskaran, Asst Coach: Harender Singh.

Doctor: M S Dhillon, Physio: Ravi Kanakamedala, Physical Trainer: Derek Scameron Knox.

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