Seeking smooth transition

Many talented juniors fail to graduate to senior level, thanks to haphazard system

By Indervir Grewal

“Wait and watch, this team will bring many more trophies,” skipper Harjeet Singh had confidently announced after India won the junior hockey World Cup a couple of weeks back. The euphoria over the win has not only got the team but also the fans talking about medals at the 2018 World Cup and the 2020 Olympics. The team’s performance, winning all their matches, raises confidence.

However, making the transition from the junior to the senior team is the hardest phase for an international player. India have been strong at the junior level — runners-up in the 1997 World Cup, winners in 2001 and fourth in 2005. But that success has never been repeated at the senior level — India even failed to qualify for the 2008 Olympics.
Slow and steady

“The junior players need to be exposed to senior international hockey gradually — training with the seniors in national camps before getting match exposure. There’s still a long time before the World Cup. The smaller tournaments should be used to give exposure to the juniors, just as the Germans do,” said former international Hardeep Singh Grewal.

Despite being a junior sensation, Akashdeep Singh was a late bloomer in the senior squad. “The big change in level is unsettling at the beginning. It takes long to find your feet,” said Akashdeep.

The 22-year-old was thrown into the deep end at a very young age. So was Mandeep Singh, who was taken to the 2014 World Cup at 19. Along with the team’s performance, his was also lambasted. “Disappointments at such a big stage invite sharp criticism. It can crush a youngster’s confidence,” Grewal added.

Falling behind

It’s again a transitional time for India. Many players of the victorious junior team will get into the senior core group, out of which some will make the team sooner than later. The new lists will be announced in March, India coach Roelant Oltmans said.

But the ones who don’t make it to the core group — they could just be late bloomers — will find it tough to catch up with the national campers later. The level of training at the national camps is much superior compared to what the players get in the domestic circuit, including in the departments they play for. Besides, they will never get the same kind of match practice, or even the same number of matches, as the national campers will. The domestic tournament circuit is haphazard, with only a few tournaments every year, and the competition level is low.

As the rest of the players fall behind, the gap between India’s first and second string sides increases. The pool of probables shrinks, which then leads to players like Akashdeep and Mandeep being hurried into the senior team and overplayed. It can cause stress injuries; at one point, Akashdeep and Mandeep were playing in both the senior and junior teams, leading to them suffering several injuries.

Development squad

At the junior World Cup, the major European teams’ coaches spoke about development squads for players who don’t get into the senior team immediately; that too despite having strong league systems. Even the players who don’t make it to the development squad get to train at their clubs and play highly competitive matches throughout the year. A reason why European teams don’t need long national camps, unlike in India where a camp can last for months. The German and England teams had come together only about a week before the World Cup. The need for a development squad is even greater in India, and it seems the federation has realised it. “The players who won’t be in the seniors, will be in the development squad,” Oltmans said.

Hockey India’s CEO Elena Norman recently said that the federation had approached the government for funding of the development squad but it’s been pending for two years.

AK Patro, under secretary, Ministry of Sports, said that he was not aware of Hockey India’s proposal, and even if he was, he was not allowed to disclose any details.