Secure future, give juniors a chance 8212; Baskaran

But Vasudevan Baskaran took it up as a challenge. Elevated from junior to senior coach, fired once and reinstated, Baskaran8217;s approach is: The team I get is the team I coach.

8220;We have to be practical. At least four of the six were recalled players. Those players are not there, but there are others 8212; young, eager and waiting. Why not give them a chance to blossom so that the future is secure? The experience they gain in this one year in the run-up to the Olympics will stand Indian hockey in good stead. After all, how many years can a player perform at top level?8221; he asked.

Baskaran readily agreed that the performance of the team in South Africa was not good. But the youngsters proved themselves in many areas, like attack. 8220;There were bad patches in the mid-field and we are trying to work out the set-pieces in the ongoing camp here,8221; he said.

The short camp prior to the team8217;s departure to Australia for a four-nation tournament is mainly to get into the groove and the beginning of a another chapter as India prepare for Sydney 2000.

Australia too are using the tournament involving India, Korea, Canada besides themselves as dress rehearsal for the Olympics. Of the teams, three have already qualified and Korea have a very good chance of making it. So the tournament will give the boys a good idea of the nature of competition in store, Baskaran felt.

Considering that the Indian players have no competitions till January, the seven matches they get to play in Canberra and Sydney should give them confidence.

Baskaran is looking to play 20-24 official matches as part of the training schedule. 8220;This experience will definitely be useful when we build a team for the future,8221; he said.

The training camp here at the Karnataka State Hockey Association stadium, is being held in three sessions daily with matches in the morning, followed by discussions with the players and then another outing in the evening.

The coach plans to start video classes shortly. 8220;The 10 days I get are for playing the game pattern with perfection,8221; he emphasised. He has worked out separate set drills zone wise with emphasis on penalty corner conversion, of course.

8220;The executive director of SAI has promised to give us cassettes of various international matches to study and analyse,8221; Baskaran said.

The coach has worked out various two-forward formations which puts accent on defence. He felt that in the course of the year to the Olympics, the players would get used to the formations.

Since most of the players are from junior ranks, Baskaran8217;s most important task has been one of balancing the juniors and seniors. About his experience as coach of junior team, he said: 8220;The junior boys were better learners.8221;

Now he has to deal with established and seasoned players and keep the balance. He should see that the juniors raise their level of the game while the seniors maintain their standard. 8220;In a way, it is a tightrope walk,8221; he conceded. By October/November, when the next camp is slated to begin, he hopes to have ironed out many rough edges. 8220;The important thing is that the boys are willing to learn. They will be ready for the test when the time comes,8221; he promised. 8220;We are Asian Games champions; we have to play like champions,8221; he said.