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Journalism of Courage
The Azlan Shah tournament, which begins in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, has been won three times by India. Don8217;t expect a fourth this time around: with an eye on the Olympic qualifiers and then the main event, India have sent an experimental side. They will be playing some of the top teams, at full strength and many in peak form. Winning matches would be less of an upset, more a mini revolution.
Spain and Germany, the European powers, and Australia are showing peak form. But Spain will be competing in a tournament outside Europe for the first time since making a comeback in the European Championship. Germany won the title but their coach Bernhard Peters said his players might appear rusty in KL.
The Koreans are expected to try out their various penalty-corner exponents while the 8216;Green Machine8217; 8212; as coach Roelant Oltmans calls Pakistan 8212; will hope to beat India. They lost the previous two encounters, in the Asia Cup and Afro-Asian Games.
Incidentally, the Indians are still in the process of finalising their squad for the Olympic qualifying tournament. The pool of talent may not be as vast as in the 50s and 60s but seems to be improving. More than half the Indian team in the tournament comprises players who only recently became part of the India 8216;A8217; squad.
While veterans Dhanraj Pillay and Baljit Dhillon will face the pressure of leading from the front, there will be new faces hoping to cement their position in the main Indian team 8211; they will be watched closely by the think-tank.
8226; William Xalxo: Said to be the most talented youngster in the team 8212; a defender in the mould of Dilip Tirkey. Like him, Xalxo hails from Orissa but was groomed at the Air India Academy Delhi and was the subject of several inquiries from other teams at the end of this year8217;s domestic season
8226; Girish Pimpale: The youngster from Dadar is the team8217;s utility player, giving the coach the option of playing him in midfield or up front. Said to be most effective as a centre-half, where he has the potential to split any rival defence 8212; a rarity in the current Indian team
8226; Tushar Khanderkar: Promising forward who should have been given the chance at the Afro-Asian Games. Skillful and swift with the ball but lacking the physique to take on top defenders. Should get more opportunity to prove his talent
8226; Arjun Halappa: An all-rounder and team-man to the core, Halappa returned to the team to star at the AAG after winning the Junior World Cup title in 2001
8226; Len Ayyappa/Sandeep Singh: Two drag-pushers in the reckoning to take the place of Jugraj Singh. Len8217;s strengths are powerful flicks and variety but needs to improve his match temperament at the highest level. Sandeep, possessing the most dangerous low-flicks in the business, will be playing his first major tournament
