Times of India: Printed Article:

ARGENTINA: Mar del Plata in Argentina is a renowned destination where tourists go for some fun and frolic. But, the Indian hockey squad has gone ther
e to conduct some serious business and have already begun delivering positive results. Having beaten the hosts in back-to-back Tests, India is now in a position to wrap up the series when the teams clash in the third game on Wednesday.

If it was Deepak Thakur’s brace that helped the Indians to a 2-1 victory on Sunday evening, the trio of striker Shivender Singh (12th min), Prabhjot Singh (40th min) and Sandeep Singh (59th min) scored in their 3-2 win on Monday.

The results have been impressive given that India have struggled against the same opponents over the last few years. More so India’s hopes of qualifying for the Beijing Olympics were dashed in the same continent last March when they crashed to Great Britain in the Chilean capital of Santiago.

“The boys have not played international hockey for a long time now, so they are hungry to prove themselves,” said Indian coach Harendra Singh said from Mar del Plata on Tuesday.

“Also the wounds of the loss in the Olympic qualifiers is fresh in their minds and they are eager to remove that black spot from their minds,” he added.

And is he happy with the way the boys have performed so far? “Well we won the two games but there is enough scope for improvement.”

One of the players on a comeback trail is striker Deepak Thakur who was out of favour for more than two years. Harendra feels Thakur has taken the disappointment in his stride and is keen to cement a place for himself.

“I am happy with the hunger Deepak has shown and I feel he wants to make up for the lost opportunities.”