Why the wooden spoon isn’t as bad as it looks

Despite the last place finish at the Azlan Shah Tournament, the trip to Kuala Lumpur has seen the emergence of some talented players. The th...

Despite the last place finish at the Azlan Shah Tournament, the trip to Kuala Lumpur has seen the emergence of some talented players. The think-tank’s pre-tournament aim of strengthening the bench strength of the main team by testing the second-stringers at KL seems to have been achieved. So when the stars return for the Olympic qualifiers there will be four youngsters ready to share their burden.

William Xalxo: The young defender was the find of the tournament. He impressed with his interception and kept his cool against the best forwards in the world. An ideal third defender along with Dilip Tirkey and Kanwalpreet Singh.

Rajpal Singh: Everyone expected Sandeep Michael, who was the ‘Most Promising Player’ at the 2003 Asia Cup, to deliver. But as Michael failed, Rajpal took over. The nippy forward scored an opportunistic goal against Pakistan and could prove to be an excellent poacher.

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Vikram Pillay: With the main team he has been a virtual passenger. At KL he got the main mid-fielder’s role and he delivered. Always in the thick of things: feeding the forwards and falling back to aid the defenders. Chief coach Rajinder Singh would be pleased with Vikram’s maturity.

VS Vinay: Like Pillay, he too was benched most of the time when with the main team. Vinay was the attacking midfielder who often moved upward with the right winger. For coach Rajinder it is a case of embarrassment of riches: Ignace Tirkey, Bimal Lakra, Viren Rasquinha and now Pillay and Vinay.

Taking a leaf from Germany’s book

Like the Indians, Germany sent their second-stringer to the Champions Trophy last year as the main players were preparing for the European Cup. Germany finished last at Champions Trophy but won the Euro Cup later which saw them book a place for 2004 Olympics. The Indians seem to have finally realised the importance of planning.

— Manish Kumar

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