Captaincy row a media hype

Midfielder Tushar Khandekar says all is well with the Indian team and Rajpal has been accepted as captain.

By Anshul Baijal

Even if the authorities prefer to keep the media away from the training sessions of the Indian team, Tushar Khandekar claims all is well in the camp ahead of the upcoming World Cup.

At a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday where ING Life Insurance was revealed as a hockey World Cup sponsor, Khandekar said the issues that threatened to derail the team's preparation for the World Cup, have been sorted and team spirit was "at its best."

While saying the salary issue was a thing of the past, Khandekar says the captaincy row was a "media creation." The mercurial Indian midfielder hinted coach Jose Brasa was unnecessary dragged into the row by the media. It was widely reported that the Spaniard wanted Prabhjot Singh as skipper instead of Rajpal Singh.

Khandekar said: "We are firmly behind Rajpal and any talk about camps in the team is incorrect. We are united and the spirit is great."

India will be hosting the World Cup in Delhi from February 28. The home team plays Pakistan on Day 1 and Khandekar's claims that is all is fine will be tested for sure.

Khandekar, however, says that India won't be treating the Pakistan match any differently. The emotions will surely be high, but Khandekar said: "We want to perform well against all the teams. Every match is important for us. I don't know why so much importance is given to the game against Pakistan."

India will surely be counting on home support but Khandekar said India have tried new techniques under Brasa. "We have been trying different things at practice sessions. The European teams play a physical game and we are well prepared to deal with it."

Khandekar added: "The best teams in the world play an open game, they rely on long passes and are very good with penalty corners. We have also tried to work on these areas and hopefully we can deliver the goods when the time comes."

Adaptation is the key at the highest level and more so at a tournament like a World Cup. Khandekar says the team has can shift gears whenever required. "We can play Asian style when required and will not be bogged down by powerful teams like Australia who play a very physical game."