Indian hockey star Sardar Singh in an exclusive chat with espnstar.com revealed how the team is confident about the Asia Cup.

By Sunil Taneja

ST: India won the Azlan Shah Cup after a long gap. How was our team better this time?

SS: Our skipper Sandeep Singh was the trump-card for the team. He was great during set-pieces. Although we had several different strategies for the same, Sandeep was just very good. Plus, the team has been in a good touch and all the guys were very confident about the victory.

ST: Looking ahead towards the Asia Cup, do you feel some pressure?

SS: Not really. We are very confident about it. We have already qualified for the World Cup, so there is no added pressure on us. The atmosphere in the locker room is very positive. The boys are really very confident and determined to retain the Asia cup.

ST: Which team do you think will be the biggest threat to the Indian team in Asia Cup?

SS: Our good performance in Argentina and New Zealand has given us plenty of confidence. But in today's hockey, you cannot take any team lightly. Even Bangladesh can create upsets. So we will play every match very seriously and with a positive attitude.

ST: Sohail Abbas, Wasim Ahmad, Rehan Butt and Salman Akbar are all set to make a come-back in the Pakistani squad. How intimidating it is for you?

SS: In the 2007 Azlan Shah Tournament, our team was full of youngsters but we still made it to the finals and gave all teams a chase for their money. So, I feel names don't matter much now. If we play well, it doesn't matter how experienced or young we are, we will surely win.

ST: As the Asia Cup will be played in Malaysia, will you miss the home-support?

SS: A little bit for sure. But there are Indians all over the globe, mainly Punjabis, to cheer for us. During Azlan Shah, we were applauded by the Malaysians as well, which was really encouraging. And if you play well, people will always support you.

ST: How do you find Sandeep Singh as captain?

SS: He is very good. As a player, he performs well and as a captain, he leads from the front. He always consults the senior players and takes their advice on various issues. To the juniors, he is very supportive.

ST: How is Harendra Singh as a coach?

SS: I like him a lot. His best quality is that he behaves more like a friend to the boys. He is very easy to approach and always open to the ideas. His way of training is really good and the team has been doing well under him.

ST: There has been a lot of buzz about the coaching in the recent years. For our team, would you vote for an Indian coach or a foreign one?

SS: An Indian coach, for sure. There are two main reasons. First, there is never a language problem. We can approach him without any hesitation for any discussion.

Second, the Indian way of hockey is different from the European style. So with an Indian coach, we don't have to alter our natural style.

ST: As you already mentioned, the team has been doing reasonably well. Do you feel the old golden days of Indian hockey are back?

SS: I feel we are back on track for sure. We are currently ranked 10th in the world and if we win the Asia Cup, we will be even better.

Everyone in the team knows this and we are all very nicely gelled and determined to do well in every tournament.