``We'll surprise everyone this time''

``We'll surprise everyone this time''
N Jagannath Das

AUGUST 11: Thirty-year-old N Mukesh Kumar is in the twilight of his international career. With two Asian Games, two World Cups and two Olympics, the speedy right-winger is one of the senior members of the Indian hockey team. Mukesh and Dhanraj Pillay will have an important role to play in the forthcoming Sydney Olympics. It will most probably be the last hurrah for the two seasoned campaigners in Olympics. The last two Olympics -- Barcelona and Atlanta -- ended in disaster for India. Mukesh Kumar likes to finish off his career on a happy note, especially after India's gold-winning performance in the Bangkok Asian Games. Back from the camp in Bangalore, Mukesh, who has so far played in 317 internationals with 75 goals to his credit, speaks to N Jagannath Das about India's preparation for the Sydney test.
A: This is my last chance for Olympic glory. I was a member of the Indian team in the last Olympics -- Barcelona and Atlanta -- but we could not break the ice. But this time, I have set my own goals. It will be a do-or-die battle. As a child when I picked the first hockey stick, I always dreamt of an Olympic medal. This Sydney Games, hopefully, will be a dream come true. I'm determined to fulfill that dream. In the last Asian Games at Bangkok, tears rolled out when I wore the gold medal. Now hopefully in this Olympics our national anthem will be played. In short, we are hungry for success.

How confident is the team?
A: There is an air of confidence in the team. The camps at Bangalore have been very fruitful with emphasis on fitness. There seems to be bonhomie in the team. Every player is looking eagerly for an Olympic success. The camps were well organised with Gill Sir along with coach Baskaran, providing all the facilities required for this major venture. Physio Ramesh was of great help giving specific exercises to each department.

India seem to have a nightmarish start in big tournaments. How well the team has been prepared this time?
A: This has been biggest flop story to our Olympic campaign. Somehow teams like Argentina, Poland, Belgium have always troubled us in the opening matches. Maybe, we were complacent against weaker teams in our previous campaigns giving importance only to big teams. This proved to be a disaster. We could not recover from the bad start. But this time our coaches Baskaran, Ranjit Singh (who has come from Spain) have emphasised that we should not be complacent. Every match will be important. We should be focussed from the start.

How has the game changed over the years?
A:Modern hockey is nothing but fitness. You have to conserve your energy till the final whistle. There should be more of ball play than individual skills. We, Asians, tend to spend our energy with a few individual sorties. But if we look to the European teams, the players do not waste their energy. They give emphasis on ball play. For instance, the Australians, sometimes, score goals with just four players touching the ball. We have to learn the art of saving our energy. This will help us sustain the pace with the opponents. Of course, if we have the same fitness like other teams, we can outwit our rivals with our individual skills. We should have more goal-oriented moves.

How about the traditional system of five forwards?
A:This system was a big success in the past. But now a good midfield is the key to success. We used to leave huge gaps in the midfield by having an extra player up front. This was a big advantage to our opponents. We have learnt from our mistakes. I have a feeling that we are going to surprise our opponents this time.