Third-time plucky

Before he made his international debut in March 2001 against Egypt,20-year old Arjun Halappa only thought of playing for India.

Before he made his international debut in March 2001 against Egypt,20-year old Arjun Halappa only thought of playing for India. When he enters the field on February 28 for the opener against Pakistan,he would join the distinguished ranks of players with three World Cups under their belt and the only one in the current squad to boast of that achievement. But the diminutive Coorgi is not thinking about it.

Only recently I was asked by someone whether this was my third World Cup,and I said yes. That was the first time this figure came across my mind,otherwise I have not really thought about it, he says.

It doesnt bother him either that,despite being part of the squad that experienced whatever little success Indian hockey has had in recent times,he is not as much in the limelight as some of his team mates. I have no complaints. I am happy playing hockey and whatever I have today is because of this only. Whether I am in the limelight or not doesnt matter; results do, he says.

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And that lack of results,perhaps,is one reason for his desperation to perform well this time around,at home. Yeah,I have played two World Cups,I will be playing my third this time around but I dont see it as a reason to celebrate anything. Nothing great happened in the last two World Cups (India finished 10th and 11th in 2002 and 2006 respectively) so there is nothing to cheer. I hope things will be different this time around,given our hard work and preparation, he says,knowing time is running out for this talented playmaker.

I am not thinking about the next edition or anything else. There are injuries to counter and,once a player reaches 30,the recovery is also not as quick. So for me,the immediate target is this World Cup,and then the other major events line up later this year.

That isnt to say that he doesnt care. Dont take me wrong,its very special playing for the country. It is also a very special feeling to participate in your third World Cup. But that doesnt take away from the fact that we havent performed very well in the tournament. And,ultimately,its how your team performed that is remembered,not individual achievements, he says.

Given his experience in World Cups,his intelligent reading of the game situation,his ability to create chances and his success as a leader he led Bangalore to the PHL title twice Halappa should have automatically qualified to lead,but he didnt.

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Honestly,it never struck me. And I cant afford to think about it either. Also,having lost almost two years to injuries (he refuses to mention being ignored for a national team comeback post 2006 Asian Games despite a brilliant domestic season). I dont have the time to be bothered about things like captaincy, he says but adds: If offered then it is a different issue.

Halappa was among the more vocal players during the recent crisis in Pune,but he prefers to look ahead. We cant keep cribbing about what we dont have or could have had. At the moment,all I want is to see the team do well beginning February 28, he signs off.

CUPTRACKER

Eng striker ruled out

New Delhi: England striker Matt Daly has been ruled out of the World Cup due to a hamstring injury. Daly picked up the grade two tear during Englands preparatory camp in Doha and is expected to be sidelined for between six to eight weeks. Getting injured this close to a World Cup is a major blow, England head coach Jason Lee said.

Teams trickle in

New Delhi: The New Zealand contingent,minus striker Simon Child who pulled out for security concerns arrived in the city on Tuesday. The Spanish contingent,scheduled to reach here on Tuesday,are still stranded in Madrid due to a pilot strike,and the team management said they were trying to make alternate arrangements.