Jugraj Singh, who was out of action following an accident last September, resumed practice at the P.A.P ground in Jalandhar on Saturday. (PTI)

The Olympics are virtually knocking at the IHF’s door, and it’s time we made up our minds about the basic composition of the team. The brass must be having a good reason as to why experienced players like Dhanraj Pillay, Baljit Singh Dhillon and Baljit Saini (as well as Sandeep Michael) have been omitted from the two four-nation tournaments in Australia, but I hope by the end of that trip it will be finally clear who goes and who doesn’t. We simply don’t have the time.

I have maintained that experimentation should carry on, but at the same time I feel that at the moment we should make up our minds about the players. Barring serious lack of form and also serious injuries, we should have decided on the nucleus by now.

This is not the time to try out brand new players. We need players with international experience for the Olympics. These four-nation meets aren’t enough to get a player his teeth of experience. As per the IHF, those omitted, technically remain eligible for the final squad for Athens. If that is true, then I can understand that even if they miss this Australian tour, they will benefit from the long camp that will be held before the Olympics.

But, generally such experimentation should have been completed a couple of years back, whatever the provocation for such a drastic step: the player per se, or otherwise.

One must add here that in a team, the individual cannot ever come first. The interest, pride and honour of the country is foremost. Consider the case of one superstar, Sachin Tendulkar. If he is ever kept out of the team, for whatever reason, the team will not only miss his batting prowess but also him as a person. The reason being that Sachin still has his feet on the ground, and despite his great stature, is approachable by the youngest of the players. This, probably, may not be true for some of our hockey stars.

That has to change.

These two competitions, in Canberra and Sydney are important. Malaysia and South Africa are in the fray, besides India and the hosts. In case the new ones are finally taken, they should all be played there. I hope at least 20 players are taken for the tours. Even if, say, 18 are allowed, the IHF should pay for the rest to travel. Winning will be important, but more important will be to find out the worth of these youngsters.

My fear is that if at this stage the new ones are not found suitable, this entire experiment could blow up in our faces. Not only will it not benefit us, it could also have a negative effect on our confidence. This lack of confidence during the qualifiers for the Olympics had resulted in a poor start, though the team did manage to come back to form later.

Competition will not be of the highest order, but will be good enough. Australia would be wanting match practice, missing out on the qualifiers (they qualified, winning the Oceania group), and Malaysia would be again wanting to beat India. But overall, it could be a good place to try out more combinations.

Australia are on a late high. It is ironic that despite having made such great teams time and again in the last two decades, the Olympic gold remains missing from their collection. Hence they will be trying to get the best out of the meet, however low-strength it may be. That could work to India’s benefit. A competitive scenario, against whichever opposition, always helps. And a berth in an Olympic team is rare, and always a tough grab. The players will be eager.