The players made errors in trapping, passing, close man-to-man marking and wing-half play, which rendered them inconsistent.

BY Vasudevan Baskaran 28 August 2004

The win was mainly due to the controlled hockey India played in the first half with the mid-fielders coming up with a good performance. For the first time I saw a lot of short and long passes on both the wings which kept troubling the Korean deep def

BY Vasudevan Baskaran 27 August 2004

Their lack of contribution and non-existent urge to correct mistakes put extra pressure on the mid-field and deep defenders. It is a mystery why the youngsters have not put up a good show despite expensive exposure extended to them by the IHF.

BY Vasudevan Baskaran 25 August 2004

India have failed completely to learn their lessons from the Sydney Olympics, therefore the script does not read much different at Athens.

BY Vasudevan Baskaran 23 August 2004

I have seen the Indian team succumb to pressure and play below their potential many times but yesterday was simply shocking. The non-performance will raise many eyebrows since the approach of the team was totally wrong.

BY Vasudevan Baskaran 21 August 2004

Instead of concentrating more on attacks from the right flank, had the coach attacked from the left, more openings could have been created and the Aussie defenders could have been put under pressure.

BY Vasudevan Baskaran 19 August 2004

Thakur, Gagan Ajit and Prabhjot seemed to be running aimlessly with the ball and got dispossessed easily. They also looked disjointed with no concrete help from the mid-fielders. This could pose problems for the coach in future games.

BY Vasudevan Baskaran 17 August 2004

It is high time the players, especially the mid-fielders and deep defenders, become sure about their trapping which is the basic quality in present-day hockey. If they are not sound in this aspect, however good the team is, it will not be successful.

BY Vasudevan Baskaran 15 August 2004

Even if we share points with the Dutch, it would be a morale boosting display ahead of the next four games. As things stand, we can always salvage three points from New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina.

BY Vasudevan Baskaran 13 August 2004

'Devesh Chauhan, Jugraj Singh, Gagan Ajit Singh, Prabhjot Singh and Deepak Thakur excelled with their brilliance and consistency. The Indian team needs more such young players who have the energy, eagerness and the spirit to excel'

BY Vasudevan Baskaran 26 August 2003