Itinerary too tight say Indians

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33964, 3 October 1975, Page 20

Itinerary too tight say Indians

The Indian hockey team arrived in New Zealand yesterday worried that the tight itinerary of 15 matches in 24 days will be very tiring even though it has 22 players — enough for two teams.

The manager of the side (Wing Commander R. S. Bhola) said the tour was very compact, and although he understood the New Zealand Hockey Association’s problems in arranging the tour at short notice, he felt there was too much travelling. Packing, travelling, and playing daily would have an effect on the team, even if the members played in only every second match. The tour will be the last before the Indian team is chosen for the Olympic Games in Montreal next year, where India will be trying to regain the Olympic crown it lost in Mexico in 1968.

The purpose in coming to New Zealand was solely to prepare for Montreal, said Wing Commander Bhola. “No nation will waste money on an overseas trip unless it has a purpose. Ours is to prepare our squad for the Olympics.” Gold medal It was pointed out that the last time India visited New Zealand was before the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 — the last time it won a gold medal. Wing Commander Bhola hoped this tour would precede another gold. India was not disappointed that it could not attend the eight-nation pre-Olympic tournament in Montreal in July. The tournament was played on the artificial turf that will be used at the Olympics next year. When players got to the stage of representing India they should be able to adapt to any type of surface, said Wing Commander Bhola, be it dry, muddy, or slippery grass, or artificial grass. “All they have to do is adjust the speed of their passes.” The nucleus of next year’s Olympic team will come from this one. The Indian junior team had recently completed a successful tour of Europe and there were several players in that side who might win a place in the Olympic team at the final trials next year. Close games Wing Commander Bhola is sure the New Zealand tour will provide India with the opposition it is seeking. “We would not have come here if we did not think otherwise." New Zealand is a good side but unfortunately it had never been able to lift its world , ranking. In recent years New i Zealand and India had al- i ways had close games. At' the Mexico Olympics New, Zealand won, and at the, Munich Olympics India won. ■ At a tournament in Singapore ■ in 1971 and the World Cup in (

Amsterdam in 1973 the side drew. The distance between the countries meant frequent tours were expensive, but Wing Commander Bhola felt tours could be on a more regular basis than 11 years — the period since the last Indian side was in New Zealand.

I A tournament between ■Asian and South Pacific j countries was something that icould be looked at to give countries in those regions more frequent competition. The Indians have not chosen their teams for the first two games of the tour — against Otago tomorrow and Canterbury on Sunday.