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Rajinder satisfied with experimental team
Indian coach Rajinder Singh today expressed satisfaction over the performance of his "experimental" side in the four-nation hockey tournament.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 09:06 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
New Delhi:
Indian coach Rajinder Singh today expressed satisfaction over the performance of his "experimental" side in the four-nation hockey tournament and said five-six players from the team could stake claim for a berth in the squad for the forthcoming Athens Olympics. "It was an experimental side and I am satisfied with their performance," Rajinder told reporters at the Indira Gandhi International Airport after the team's arrival from Japan. The national coach was all praise for penalty corner specialist Sandeep Singh, defender William Xalxo and Tushar Khandekar. Outplayed by Koreans The Indian side, consisting mostly of junior players, suffered a humiliating 6-1 loss to Asian Games gold medallist South Korea in the final on Tuesday. They, however, defeated hosts Japan and China, but lost to the Koreans in the league stage. Assistant coach Harender Singh said the players have proved that they had the potential to perform at the big stage by defeating the national teams of China and Japan and such exposure trips would help them gain valuable experience. Captain Ignace Tirkey said they played well throughout the tournament but slipped in the final against the Asian Games winners. In the women's section, the second-string Indian squad lost all its matches to finish last in the event. (PTI)Topics mentioned in this article
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