India wary about Oz tie

Indians beat New Zealand 3-2 in a practice match here today, but coach Vasudevan Baskaran’s team will have to do more...

Indians beat New Zealand 3-2 in a practice match here today (the same as their first practice match), but coach Vasudevan Baskaran’s team will have to do more to be able to match Australia when they meet the Olympic champions in the opener of the 15th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey meet beginning here tomorrow.

Baskaran is treating this meet as a preparatory for the World Cup this September andsaid: “Our target here is a podium finish. I am pretty confident that we will be able to achieve that.”

India last won the tournament in 1995 when Baskaran was the coach. Before that India had won in 1985. Last year, though, they finished last among six teams.

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“The Australians, though without several key players, are still a strong team and they showed good form last night while beating the Koreans 6-0 in a practice match. But then, if we can deny them early success, then half the battle is won,” Baskaran said.

The coach was also happy at the improvement in drag-flicker Sandeep Singh’s tackling and covering. “Sandeep is a good talent, and he has shown a lot of improvement in other areas of his game. I am confident that with time, he will develop into a fine all-round player and not just a drag-flick expert,” he said.

Sunday’s matches: Argentina vs New Zealand (6 am IST); Australia vs India (12.30 pm IST); Korea vs Malaysia (2.30 pm IST).