Shivendra Singh can be a big force up-front.

Fear is a habit. So is self-pity, defeat, despair and resignation. Following the World Cup debacle, the Indian hockey team is bracing up for another moment of truth. Do we have good enough players to seize the opportunity? Will we be able to make amends for the wrongs we committed in Germany and shine in Doha? Will the seeds of a new revolution be sown in Doha?

These questions and doubts — often revolving around based on a plethora of negative habits — are bound to cloud the mind ahead of our Asian Games campaign, because there has been very little to cheer about for Indian hockey in recent times. It’s time to change this trend.

Following two trial matches in Rourkela and Delhi, we’ve finally selected the 16-member squad. A lot of emphasis was given on fitness level and, sad to say, old warhorses like captain Dilip Tirkey, Ignace Tirkey, Rajpal Singh and Viren Rasquinha were found wanting on this count. Viren couldn’t make it to the final squad and his place has gone to the young Gurbaj Singh.

In Doha, we are going to play back-to-back games against Bangladesh and China. We discussed this issue at length in the selection meeting, because under similar situations in the past, India have played horribly in the second game, even against weak opponents.

South Korea remain our No. 1 rival in the Asian Games and if we can top the group, we can expect easier opponents in the semi-final stage. There is also an added incentive for Dilip & Co: A place in the final means automatic qualification for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Any slip-up in Doha will lead us to the Olympic qualifiers, inviting more disappointment and criticism.

Our main weakness is the midfield. If the likes of Ignace, Vinay and Gurbaj are able to hold up their zone, we can hope to advance convincingly. Our forwardline is pretty penetrative, especially with Shivendra Singh and Tushar Khandekar showing that they have it in them to take on the best of defences. Adam Sinclair is another prospect and I hope coach Baskaran does try him out.

The real concern is the tendency to lose focus in the middle. Throughout the World Cup, we suffered because of our old malady of conceding soft penalty corners. Kamalpreet Singh was the main culprit then.

He won’t be in Doha, but the defenders need to be on their toes and ensure that all the good work up front doesn’t go waste because of silly mistakes in the backline.

We failed to earn enough penalty corners as well. Since the rules have changed, there is no harm in hitting the ball at the opponents’ legs inside the ‘D’ to earn penalty corners. Nothing is unfair in a battle and the forwards must explore all options to win.

Sandeep Singh could have come in handy, but his fitness was suspect.

Indian cricket’s new chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar has recently rued lack of talent at domestic levels. It’s a similar case in Indian hockey as well. We kept a tab on the Nationals in Jalandhar, but truth to tell, no exceptional talents caught our eyes.

There may be a shake-up in the team’s composition post-Doha, but now it’s back to a bunch of old-timers, who will carry the nation’s expectations at the Asian Games. Those negative habits can be overcome with the resolve: I can and I will!

Isn’t it true that who dares, wins?