A preparatory coaching camp for the double leg four-nation hockey tournament in Perth and Darwin from April 21 got underway here.

Eight-time Olympic champions India failed to qualify for the Beijing Games, but the coaching staff, headed by Joaquim Carvalho, and the players are looking towards the future.

All 44 campers, including ace drag flicker Sandeep Singh, who could not make the team for the Chile Olympic qualifiers, and goalkeeper Kuttappa (BPCL), midfielder Senthil and forward V Raja have joined the camp.

At the end of the second day of the camp today, Carvalho said “we are having two sessions of over six to seven hours daily in our schedule. “After physical conditioning in the morning, the campers are attuned to set-piece positions besides hockey skills and practice in the morning session. In the evening, the players are grouped as goalkeepers, fullbacks, midfield and forwards for training in different groups. I am having a close look at the junior boys and am impressed with them a lot,” he said.

Asked whether the players are provided corrective lessons on their mistakes by analysing the video tapes, Carvalho said “the number of campers is huge now. We will start video analysis only after reducing the number of players. This will happen perhaps after a week or so.”

The Indian team is scheduled to play Down Under against Australia, China and Korea in a double leg format, first at Perth and then at Darwin.

Short-listed players

Goalkeepers: Baljit Singh, Bharath Kumar Chetri, Sreejesh, Adrian D’Souza and Kuttappa; Defenders: William Xalxo, Raghunath VR, Sandeep Singh, Diwakar, Majit Kullu, Samir Baxla, Innocent Kulu, Jaswander Singh;

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