It's an irony that Total Football, a concept invented by the Netherlands football team in the 1970s, will be applied by Team India, albeit it's Total Hockey this time, when the two teams clash in the World Cup quarter-finals tomorrow.

The Indian team's training drills at the Kalinga Stadium here have intensified, and the emphasis is Total Hockey, where any player can play in any position. A concept first introduced to India by Balkishen Singh in the 1980s and then applied a fair bit by coach PA Raphael later, seems to have been mastered by current chief coach Harendra Singh.