What is new this time is that drag-flicker Sandeep Singh has made his way back after recovering from injuries. The other new faces in the camp will be Bikas Toppo and Pawal Lakra.
“We will be doing the usual things that are done close to a tournament. There are big events coming up and we will prepare with that in mind,” said chief coach Joaquim Carvalho from Mumbai. “There will be emphasis on specifics like tactics. Various combinations will be tried out.”
“Having 28 players will be close to the nucleus of the Indian team which will play in tournaments. The tri-nation tournament, which we are playing in along with Pakistan and Belgium in Chennai, is good for us and will allow us to try out different combinations. We will get the much-required match practice there. The players are bound to be tested in match conditions and we’ll get an idea of how they may fare in international matches,” he added.
Apart from playing the tri-nation tournament in Chennai, the Indian team plans to tour Australia for some practice matches. “After the Bangalore camp, we’ll go to Australia to play six matches. We have matches scheduled against the Western Australian team. The Chinese team will also be there at that time and we play them too,” Carvalho revealed.
Carvalho was happy with the progress shown by the players in the penalty corner camp which was held at the Sector 42 stadium here. “The penalty corner camp went on pretty well. The results have been showing in the matches. Players like VR Raghunath and Diwakar Ram have shown improvement and also done well in the PHL matches,“ the coach said.
PHL performance
Commenting on the performance of the juniors in the PHL, Carvalho said: “The juniors have been putting up a good show. Cheeyanna has scored several goals and won a man of the match award too. Diwakar Ram has done well too. This has vindicated the stand of the Indian Hockey Federation and the team management about having junior players in the PHL. At crucial junctures in the PHL, it is good to have young and fresh pairs of legs.”
Junior players Diwakar and Samir Baxla will be joining the camp after playing in the junior invitational tournament in Kuala Lumpur. "Samir and Diwakar will join after the tournament but Cheeyanna’s inclusion depends on how he performs in the junior tournament,” Carvalho said.
