With an eye on the Olympic qualifiers, the Indian Hockey Federation announced an 18-member experimental team for the prestigious Azlan Shah tournament, in Malaysia next week.

The team has only five old faces in Dhanraj Pillay, who will lead the side, former India captain Baljit Singh Dhillon, Ignace Tirkey, Vikram Pillay and Sandeep Michael.

Len Ayappa and Arjun Halappa, who were part of the Afro-Asian Games gold medal-winning team, also find a place in the side in the absence of several key players including Dilip Tirkey, Gagan Ajit Singh, Deepak Thakur, Viren Rasquinha, Devesh Chauhan and Prabhjot Singh.

As many as six players -- Adrain D'Souza, William Xalxo, Sandeep Singh, Hari Prasad, Girish Pimpale and Tushar Khandekar -- are from the junior squad which toured Poland in August 2003 and emerged triumphant in a six-nation junior tournament there.

IHF president K P S Gill told reporters the team would be trying out new combinations in the seven-nation tournament, starting January 8, in Kuala Lumpur.

"The experiments, to blend new faces and experience, would continue till some more time," Gill said while announcing the squad at the Gachibowli Hockey Stadium in Hyderabad.

"We will keep experimenting at least till the Holland Test series to be held here [in Hyderabad] in February and by that time a good combination will emerge."

India, who won the event thrice (1995, 1991 and 1985) had pulled out of the last edition after the government denied it permission to make the trip, due to the harassment of Indian IT professionals in Malaysia.

The team:

Goalkeepers: Kamaldeep Singh, Adrian D'Souza.

Full-backs: Harpal Singh, William Xalxo, Sandeep Singh.

Midfielders: Vikram Pillay, Igance Tirkey, Len Aiyappa, Prabhdeep Singh, V S Vinay, Girish Pimpale.

Forwards: Dhanraj Pillay, Baljit Singh Dhillon, Hari Prasad, Sandeep Michael, Tushar Khandekar, Arjun Halappa, Rajpal Singh.

Officials: Harinder Singh (coach), Clarence Lobo, Ramandeep Singh, A B Subbaiah, Dr Saju Joseph.

The fixtures (Malaysia time):

Day/Date	No	Time	Match
Thursday 08 Jan 2004	1	16h05	Korea vs Pakistan
	2	18h05	India vs Germany
	3	20h05	Malaysia vs Spain
Friday 09 Jan 2004	4	16h05	Pakistan vs India
	5	18h05	Spain vs Australia
	6	20h05	Germany vs Malaysia
Saturday 10 Jan 2004	7	18h05	Australia vs Korea
Sunday 11 Jan 2004	8	16h05	Korea vs Germany
	9	18h05	Malaysia vs India
	10	20h05	Pakistan vs Spain
Monday 12 Jan 2004	11	18h05	Malaysia vs Australia
	12	20h05	Pakistan vs Germany
Tuesday 13 Jan 2004	13	18h05	Korea vs Spain
	14	20h05	India vs Australia
Wednesday 14 Jan 2004	15	16h05	Spain vs Germany
	16	18h05	Pakistan vs Malaysia
	17	20h05	India vs Korea
Thursday 15 Jan 2004	18	18h05	Australia vs Pakistan
Friday 16 Jan 2004	19	16h05	Spain vs India
	20	18h05	Germany vs Australia
	21	20h05	Malaysia vs Korea
Saturday 17 Jan 2004	Rest Day
Sunday 18 Jan 2004	22	08h05	5-6th Classification Match
	23	15h35	3-4th Classification Match
	24	18h05	Final