"Hockey has become more cerebral"

He does not believe that the new rule will benefit one style of play and stifle the other. "How you adapt to the rule is important. You just have to mould it according to your style. If you don’t, you will lose your way in the the midfield — which is the key area. As far as I’m concerned, it is all up there," he raises his finger to his temple.

"You’ve got to keep improvising all the time. We Australians have shown how to mix the two: European (in defence) and Asianstyles (in attack), to get goals."

Freeman believes that India and Pakistan can once again rise to the top. "That will be good for the game. It was obvious at the Adelaide Champions Trophy that the Europeans (Germany and the Netherlands) rely only on penalty corners to win matches. That is not the true spirit of hockey." says Freeman.

The Australian team’s visit has materialised due to the perseverance of the team manager Stephan Baldanoff. He was struck by the discerning hockey fans and warm hospitality when he visited India as a member of the Monash University (Melbourne) hockey team seven years ago.

"India’s rich culture and the Indians’ passion for hockey was something I could not erase from my memory. I had to come back," the young, bespectacled manager says.

Even after he stopped playing in the Australian National Hockey League, Baldanoff kept himself involved with the game at the University level. "I decided last year that we should send a Combined Universities team to India, and I wrote to theAssociation of Indian Universities," recalls Baldanoff.

The Indians reacted positively, and after a year’s correspondence the Australians are finally here. The team was picked from eight universities from across Australia, comprising several players who play in the National League. And their mission: "Play and learn".

About the team, Baldanoff says, "These boys are professionals and play at the highest level. We thought it would be a good idea to give them international experience and also help them widen their horizons," the manager points out.

The 16-member squad has two players who have been in the reserves for the National side. Forward Jac Howes from Canberra University plays for the professional side Canberra Lakers and has been in the National camp. Midfielder Aaron Oman has been in the Australian Development side and awaits the chance to play for the National side.

Freeman had no idea about what was in store in India. He got hold of video tapes of India’s matches at the Junior World Cup inMilton Keynes (England). "I had not seen the Indians play; just a few matches on television. Hence I did not know what to expect. I just told the boys `look and see’, and it worked out pretty fine. We will definitely improve as the tour progresses," Freeman said after winning the match against Aurobindo College today.