Kaushik eyes top-3 finish in Asia Cup

Bangalore: MK Kaushik began another stint with the women’s team with a telling message to every player — the door is open to all those who are fit enough to withstand the rigours of international hockey .

“I am here to build cohesion and unity in the team. I want to prepare a champion outfit for the Commonwealth and Asian Games in 2010. To that end, I would welcome any player who is good enough to take on the best,” Kaushik said at the Sports Authority of India, South Centre here on Friday.

Having joined the second phase of the Commonwealth Games camp, Kaushik feels he has his task cut out in the next 24 months. “Forty-two girls are on the list for this camp but only 25 have reported. But this is not the core group. There are at least 10 junior girls in the Lucknow camp who have shown promise. I would like to include them too.”

The girls, who are preparing for the Junior Asia Cup, might be asked to figure in combinational drills in Bangalore if the situation arises, Kaushik said. “It is too early to comment on the final composition of the team. We are starting from scratch. So, all are welcome to join the camp, provided they prove their fitness. We may even look for fresh talent in the Nationals.”

Kaushik, who spent a busy day with the sports medicine experts in the morning, said he would want the team to play its first competitive match in the new year. “The Long-Term Development Plan (LTDP) has already been finalised but it may have to be modified a bit because we have made a beginning only now. We may have to schedule a few matches in the beginning of 2009 as they will help us in the run-up to the Asia Cup which will be our first major competition.”

Kaushik said his objective was to finish among the top three in the Asia Cup. “We know it is a challenge. But we have set ourselves the target.” With regard to support staff, Kaushik said he was in the process of finalising the names along with IWHF technical director MP Ganesh.