Kaushik not losing sleep over his designation

Gaurav Kanthwal

Chandigarh, July 9
Maharaj Krishan Kaushik doesn’t know what exactly his designation would be — assistant coach, national coach or something else. But there is one thing that he knows — there is a lot of work to be done ahead. Also, he knows that he is going to be in the thick of the action very soon. He does not confirm anything but, at the same time, leaves little to imagination.

“Assistant coach, national coach or whatever, these are purely egoistic things. How does it matter what your designation is going to be. I want to work and my name has been proposed and I am willing to contribute to Indian hockey. Let the work begin in right earnest. It does not matter what the designation is,” Kaushik says.

Given the skepticism around the state of affairs and plummeting performances of India, Kaushik also refrains from discussing the game or the players too much.

“It would not be right for me to comment. I may say something and Roeland Oltmans may say something else. My views may conflict with his. We will sit and listen to what he has to say,” the 58-year-old coach said.

But Kaushik knows what his brief is going to be. “I think I will be dealing with the Indian aspect of coaching. Culture, style of play and giving inputs on players. I think that is required of me,” he explains, adding that the core group of the team will consist of 49 identified players.

“We will try to sift players from that pool and see what the team’s requirement is,” he said. When asked how tough a task it’s going to be, Kaushik made no bones, saying, “No matter how much you work with the national team you feel it’s always less.”

Kaushik, a member of the Indian team when it won the gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow and a former coach of the Indian women’s national hockey team, is not ready to accept that the state of affairs in Indian hockey are at the lowest.

“I don’t take that. Yes, the team has not produced results but it is not right to say that Indian hockey is at the lowest right now. There are still very talented young players around,” he said.

Assistant coach, national coach or whatever, these are egoistic things. How does it matter what your designation is going to be. I want to work and contribute to Indian hockey. Let the work begin in right earnest.