Rajinder, Gagan look for goals

After an impressive 5-0 win over Canada on Tuesday, the Indian team had a day off at the World Junior hockey championship in Hobart ahead of their second match against Scotland on Thursday.

The Indians did only some light training on Wednesday, with coach Rajinder Singh saying he did not want to exert the boys too much.

"But at the same time I don't want anybody to think that we are taking Scotland lightly. Spain may have beaten them (Scotland) 8-0 but we still have to play them. Only after the match is over will I be sure of making it to the next round. But looking at the boys and the way we played against Canada, I think we will win," he said.

Though the coach did not elaborate much, he said he is a little concerned about the midfield, which was a bit slow against Canada.

"But I am confident the boys will raise their game as the tournament gets along," he said.

Rajinder had watched Spain thrash Scotland on Tuesday and has asked his team to get as many goals as possible in the match, which is being considered to be a cakewalk for the Indians.

"We need the goals and I want them to feel confident in the opposition circle; the only way they can do that is by scoring," the coach said.

India skipper Gagan Ajit Singh too sounded confident ahead of the match against Scotland.

He said he is looking forward to being among the scorers. ''I am quite happy with our team's display in the first match and, personally, I would also like to notch some goals in the forthcoming matches,'' he said.

Agencies

Complete Coverage: 7th Junior Men's World Cup 2001