The Indian hockey team has set out on a rectifying mission at a training camp for the Asian Games probables in Rourkela. It will work towards correcting the faults it committed at the just-concluded World Cup in Monchngladbach, Germany, where it finished 11th out of 12 teams.
"We have committed mistakes in the World Cup which we have identified. We'll work hard to rectify them and look to the future," Chief coach Vasudevan Bhaskaran told reporters at the SAIL-owned Biju Patnaik hockey stadium in Rourkela.
The coaching camp for 38 probables began on Friday with 22 players; the rest of the players are expected to arrive in a day or two, Indian Hockey Federation sources informed.
Skipper Dilip Tirkey and striker Gagan Ajit Singh, however, will not attend the camp as they are in the Netherlands playing league hockey.
The camp will conclude on October 20.
The national hockey camp in Orissa, where hockey talent abounds, is expected to provide a boost to the future of the game.
Dilip Tirkey, defender William Xalxo and midfielders Prabodh Tirkey and Ignace Tirkey hail from the tribal district of Sundargarh, recognised as part of what is known as the 'hockey heartland'.
Bhaskaran said Rourkela had been chosen as the venue for the camp as the synthetic turf laid at the Biju Patnaik stadium is new and was similar to the one laid at Doha for the Asiad.
Bhaskaran is being assisted by coaches Harendra Singh, Clarence Lobo, Madhukaran and coach of the state-run hockey sports hostel at Panposh K C Choudhury, as part of the support team which also includes fitness trainer Gunasekaran, physiotherapists Derek Knox and Ravi.
The probables:
Goalkeepers: Adrian D'souza, Bharat Chhetri, Sreejesh, Gurpreet Singh, S Sundaram
Defenders: Raghunath, Dilip Tirkey, William Xalxo, Harpal Singh, Khushwant Singh, Kanwalpreet Singh, Baljinder Singh.
Midfielders: V S Vinay, Gurbaj Singh, Sardar Singh, Ajmer Singh, Prabodh Tirkey, Senthil, Vikramjeet Singh, Viren Rasquinha, Dhananjay Mahadik, Ignace Tirkey, Vikram Pillay, Alok Visi
Forwards: Rajpal Singh, Shivendra Singh, Hari Prasad, Tushar Khandekar, Tejbir Singh, V Raja, Adam Sinclair, Gurwinder Singh Chandi, Majid, Gagan Ajit Singh, Arjun Halappa, Sashikant, Vivek Gupta and Usafur Rehman.