Indian Express: Women’s Hockey team more disciplined, mentally strong, says coach Harendra Singh

Mihir Vasavda

Coach Harendra Singh says the Indian women’s hockey team is targeting a podium finish in Gold Coast but ultimate goal is Asian Games gold.

At a personal and tactical level, what kind of changes did you have to make after taking charge of the women’s team?

The main thing is you cannot use harsh words. You have to be polite, stern at times, but largely polite. Tactically, there isn’t much difference in men’s and women’s hockey. The rotation of the ball is faster in men’s hockey but the pattern of play, style and structure is very similar. The only difference is you need to put more work individually with woman players in educating them about the processes.

As individuals, how different are the two sets of players?

The men are more fun-loving, they joke around and are mischievous. The women are shy, slightly reserved. They are more closely knit and discuss personal lives in great detail. One thing I really like about this team is that the players who’ve been around for a long time share their experiences with the new ones. Someone like Rani (Rampal), Sushila (Chanu) or Savita (Punia) are always willing to spend time with the new players, teach them the finer nuances of international hockey and also take responsibility. Mentally, too, they are very strong. If they decide to do something, they will really go for it.

Are there any peculiar qualities that set them apart?

Traditionally, Haryana, Manipur, Orissa and Jharkhand have been the feeder states for the women’s hockey team and that reflects in this team too. So a player from the North-East is not afraid to take extra workload, are agile and tough to beat in one-on-one situations. The girls from Haryana are more skillful and have the will to succeed no matter what. The players from Orissa-Jharkhand belt are calm and composed, and mentally very tough. Each of them have their unique qualities.

Have you followed women’s hockey internationally, in the sense that are you aware of your main opponents and their key players?

I had to study each and every player from the other teams. I know the key players by position but I am yet to know all of them by name so it’s a learning process for me too.

The team has won the Asia Cup and the Test series in South Korea. What were the takeaways from those tournaments?

The most important thing was that the team got the belief that they too can win big tournaments. Going into the tournament, I had asked the team to play with pace and aggression. We could do that in some matches. At other times, we had to defend but showed good pace in transitions. So that was a big positive.

The team has lacked in strength and fitness compared to Australia and other European nations. How do you bridge that gap?

If the Europeans are strong in that aspect, we have the skill. Our target is to combine skill with strength and increase the speed of our attacks. It will take time but we have seen some positive results. For instance, our average speed in the yo-yo test is now 18.7. Two girls have clocked 21 and three have touched 20. So it shows the girls have understood the importance of fitness. Strength will improve that gradually.

What’s your target for the Commonwealth Games, considering the World Cup is in a couple of months’ time?

A podium finish is our main target. This is a tournament where we can win a big medal. Achieving that will help us push more towards the World Cup. Our first target at the World Cup is to reach the quarterfinals and take it from there. The Asian Games is the most important as a gold medal there will guarantee us a place at the Tokyo Olympics. After winning the Asia Cup, the confidence is high.