''Team cohesive, no individual play now,'' says coach Carvalho

Chennai, Aug 21 (UNI) Indian hockey's chief coach, Joaquim Carvalho today said the team has got a good draw for the Asia Cup tournament to be played here from August 31 and that it would be an ideal preparation in the run up to the qualifying tournament for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Addressing a press conference along with IHF Secretary K Jyothikumaran and national selector B P Govinda at the astro turf stadium, Joaquim who arrived here along with the 18 member Indian squad for the final phase of the preparatory camp from tomorrow, said two tournaments after he took over, the squad was now cohesinve and playing as a team.

''There is no individual play. The load is less on individual players as we are now playing as a team and able to give off our best during the entire 70 minute duration of a match'', he said.

He said the team also had good bench strength. ''We also have good replacements and this will hold us in good stead'', he averred.

Joequim, who took over from another former international Vasudevan Baskaran after the Doha Asian Games, said in the Asia Cup, the team must exploit the advantage of playing on home turf.

''We will try our best to win'', he said.

Joequim said the squad assembled here after a break of six to seven days following the first camp in Bangalore for the Asia Cup.

''The boys are in good nick and the Chennai camp would start in right earnest for the tournament'', he said.

He said in Chennai camp, the team would follow up the work done in key areas like fitness and penalty corner conversion.

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