Indian hockey team gearing up to start season on winning note

Bangalore, Apr 8 (UNI) In its lowest ebb after a nightmarish 2006 season, the Indian Hockey team is preparing with renewed vigour under a new coach to regain its lost glory, commencing 2007 season.

The team members were camping at the Sports Authority of India, South Centre here, in preparation for the new season, beginning with the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia next month. The three-week camp might not be sufficient to groom the players, but the newly appointed national Coach Joaquim Carvalho, who swung into action right from day one on April two, said, ''I may not promise you win in the Azlan Cup, but I can assure you that the performance by my players will certainly be different...this team we will not cave in without a fight. You will see a different Indian team this time around.'' Carvalho was touch realistic as he sought to work on the areas that needed to be addressed. ''I have this feeling that we give too much respect to our opponents. We need to attack more and by attacking, it just does not mean dribbling your way inside the striking circle. We must learn to fight for the ball, something we lack in our game and that way, can have better control of a match.'' A member of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic team, Carvalho feels overnight results would only be in the realm of imagination. ''I don't have a magic wand with which I can straightway bring the team to winning ways. These are early days, but we have to put in place a proper system of going about things to attain the desired results in the long run,'' he added.

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