Onus is on new-look attack, says Baskaran

Coach Vasudevan Baskaran seemed to have a lot on his mind as he stopped for a small chat and then, rushed to the field shouting instructions. “The camp was fruitful and the boys are keyed up for the series against Pakistan,” he mumbled.

Baskaran said that work had been done on grey areas at the Patiala camp, but the coming series would go a long way in giving a correct picture of how the boys were shaping up.

“There are some greenhorns in the team. It should be agood learning experience for forward Gursewak Singh and mid-fielder P Shanmugam. The two have been consistent in domestic hockey. This is the right stage to shine,” he said.

While talking about the team composition, the coach said that the defenders and mid-fielders would be the same as in Bangkok Games, though a lot depended on the new-look attack. “Defenders Tirkey, Aldrin and Barla have enough experience and so do Ramandeep Singh, Mohammed Riaz and Baljit Singh Saini in the mid-field. It is for the forwards to rise to the challenge,” he said.

Baskaran revealed that in Dhanraj PIllay’s absence, teenager Gagan Ajit Singh would start as the centre forward while L Prabhakaran would take the place of Mukesh Kumar on the right flank. “Gagan has shaped up very well as a striker. He is most impressive,” he said.

While admitting that Baljit Singh Dhillon’s absence on the left flank would be felt, Baskaran insisted that he had enough options. He did not make too much of the fact that without Dhillon –who got married recently — the team would miss a quality `drag flicker’. Sameer Dad is almost certain to start as inside-right while Rajesh Chauhan — who played an important role in the Indo-Pak series last year — will play as inside-left.