OVER a quarter of a century ago, he led the team that won India’s last Olympic hockey gold. Then, six years ago, Vasudevan Baskaran could’ve been the architect of another podium finish — at Sydney 2000 — until things went off-kilter in the final minutes. Going into a shell for half-a-decade after that harrowing game against the greasy Poles Down Under, Vasudevan Baskaran is back at the helm as chief coach of the Indian hockey team and is keen to start with a clean mind at the Azlan Shah hockey tournament—his first major assignment after appointment.

And, in another encore, his assistant will once again be Harinder Singh, the man who was by his side at Sydney.

If the men in charge have a past, so do their wards. Most of the players who will travel to Malaysia have had a traumatic last season: 6th at the Champions Trophy, 7th at the Rabo Bank Eight-Nation hockey tournament, bottom of the table at the last Azlan Shah and, finally, the ignominy of losing to Pakistan in the six-test home and away series. For the touring party for the Azlan Shah tournament “looking forward” seems to be the only option.

Motivating this disillusioned bunch and taking stock of the arsenal at hand was to be Baskaran’s first task and on Day One—incidentally it was May 1 Labour Day— of the camp for Azlan Shah probables, the coach did exactly that.

It wasn’t a field day. Hockey sticks were given a rest as the players were put through various bio-mechanical tests at Bangalore’s Sports Authority of India Centre. After a round of sustained tests, a training schedule was drawn out by team physio Ravi Kankamedala and SAI doctors.

... contd.