Don’t take Asian Games berths for granted: Harendra

BANGALORE: The silver medal at the Commonwealth Games is no sinecure for the Indian hockey team as its members got a terse message from their coach Harendra Singh: “Don’t take your berths in the team for granted.”

The 16-member squad, which has been asked to assemble in Delhi on Tuesday for a short camp before leaving for the Asian Games in Guangzhou in November, will undergo tests in fitness, speed and skill for two days before getting down to business. Any slip-up at the camp would automatically mean that players among standbys would be considered for the continental Games.

“We gave the boys a break of around 10 days with strict instructions that they should follow an exercise regimen designed by physical trainer Pradeep Dutta. Anyone who hasn’t bothered to work out during the break will be exposed during the trials. We will not hesitate to replace them from the list of six standbys. That’s precisely why we have called the standbys too for the camp,” Harendra told TOI.

The standbys list includes Adrian D’Souza (goalkeeper), Rupinder Pal Singh (defender), Vikas Pillay and VS Vinaya (midfielders), Gurvinder Singh Chandi and Mandeep Antil (forwards).

Chief coach Jose Brasa, who is in Spain on a vacation, is expected to return to India on Monday.

Much like in the Commonwealth Games, where they were routed 0-8 by Australia in the final, India will go into the Asian Games with only one goalkeeper as it would give them more options to rotate their field players.

“We are looking for nothing less than gold,” Harendra said. “It will help us qualify for the London Olympics.” Last time, in the Doha Asian Games, India finished fifth.