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| June 12, 2003 | Thursday | Rabi-us-Sani 11, 1424 |
Champions Trophy India’s target
BANGALORE, June 11: After a successful Australian campaign, the Indian hockey team is now eyeing to break the Champions Trophy jinx.
“The tournament in Australia was a good start and we will try to keep the tempo for the Champions Trophy in August,” captain Dhanraj Pillay told reporters on his arrival from Australia at the airport here.
India have never won the prestigious Champions Trophy and last year too they had to be content with the fourth place. Its best ever show has been a third place finish.
Pillay said the current team was an experimental one, having been knit together keeping in view the Champions Trophy.
He said the team was now looking to build on its good performances in Australia and work harder with an aim to win the Champions Trophy as well as the Athens Olympic title.
He said the team would assemble at Delhi on June 17 for a short-camp before proceeding on June 21 to take part in the Panasonic Cup in Germany, which begins on June 27. The other two nations featuring in the tournament are Argentina and Spain.
Team work was key to success in Australia, Pillay said, adding, he would not like to single out any individual player.
But he, however, said Sandeep Michael’s goal against Pakistan was “one of the best goals” he had ever seen. It was hit from “zero angle” and he had seen only Mukesh Kumar come out with such shots.
Pillay expressed displeasure over the red card shown to Baljit Singh Dhillon in India’s match against Pakistan, saying it was the reason for India’s failure to beat its arch-rival.
Explaining the brief confrontation on the field, he said the matter was resolved after the two captains had a talk and they decided to treat it as a non-issue on mutual understanding.—PPI
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