India need to maintain winning momentum: Gagan

13 Apr 2009, PTI

CHANDIGARH: Out-of-favour forward Gagan Ajit Singh hailed India’s triumph in the Azlan Shah Cup but said the Sandeep Singh-led side will have to b
e consistent if it wishes to regain the national sports’s past glory.

He said the Azlan Shah title, which came after a gap of 13 years, would provide ‘big boost’ to Indian hockey which had been through a rough patch since missing out last year’s Beijing Olympics.

“It’s a good win. But now it is important that we should maintain our winning momentum and not relax a bit. Another important tournament Asia Cup is coming ahead and a win there would further boost the team’s morale,” Gagan said.

“I think the coach in-charge Harendra Singh and team managers are doing a good job. Skipper Sandeep Singh is also looking in good form. If we continue with this form over a period of time, we can regain our lost glory,” he added.

India on Sunday defeated hosts Malaysia 3-1 in the final to clinch their fourth Azlan Shah title.

Gagan said it was important to retain the players who have been performing from making frequent changes in the squad as had been the past practice.

“I remember my time when despite being top scorer in the Premier Hockey League, I was dropped from the team. Deepak Thakur, too, had met the same fate then. I hope such things are not repeated as they badly affect the players’ morale,” he said.

A key member of the present Indian outfit, Rajpal Singh, who missed the Azlan Shah tournament due to exams, also expressed happiness over the team’s victory.

“So far 2009 going good for us. The team has set its target to win the 2010 World Cup and slowly we are making progress in that direction,” he said.

He said though the field in the five-nation invitational tournament was depleted because of the absence of top teams, a win is a win and it would help the team in its preparation for future tournaments.

“The win will have its affect on the Asia Cup as we will be high on morale,” Rajpal said.

Olympian Balbir Singh said though top teams like Germany, Holland, Australia and Spain were not part of the Azlan Shah Cup, yet it was a “morale boosting win for the young team”.

Asked about the areas the team needs to improve, he said, “We still lack in deep defence and there is a tendency to concede last minute goals.”

“To reach the standard of top teams we still have a long way to go, but I would say we are proceeding in the right direction.”

Sukhbir Gill, who represented India in over 150 internationals, said a win against any team was always good.

“This win has come after such a long gap, it is definitely special,” he said.

However, the players were disappointed that the event was not shown live on television.