The Indian hockey team is confident of at least finishing in the top four in the hockey World Cup to be held in the country.

India won the Olympic hockey tournament eight times but displayed a disappointing in the last edition of the hockey World Cup in Germany when the team could only manage 11th position.

Hockey World Cup is be held in India between February 28 and March 13. The captain of the Indian national team, Rajpal Singh and team members said that they are working hard to improve the performance of the team.

The captain said "We are eyeing a semifinal spot. From there anything can happen. We are training hard and have adopted some European tactics without leaving our traditional style."

He further said that the tournament is in the home country and hence it gives them good support but also puts pressure on the team. But he was confident that it will work positively for the team.

India has been consistently weak in converting the penalty corners into goals, but the captain said that the team has worked hard to eradicate this weakness and the team now has three drag- flickers.

The captain indicated that the team had adjusted to the turf of the National Stadium. India will have practice matches with teams like Argentina and the Netherlands to prepare further for the tournament.

India will play its first match against rival Pakistan. The captain believes that this will release the tension for the team. "An India- Pakistan match is always high on emotion for the public, but we will not deviate from our plans," said a senior player Prabhjot Singh.

The recent problems faced by the team are believed to be resolves. According to the captain the team is united for the tournament.