Aiming to restore a glorious past

Sidney Kiran

India might have slipped to 11th in the world hockey rankings, but the newly-appointed coach Harendra Singh is confident that his boys will restore the lost glory, pushing India back to the top six.

Harendra spoke to Deccan Herald about the on-going camp for 48 players, and his strategies.

Excerpts:

What is that idea behind this camp?

The main idea is to get the players ready in time for the year 2010 when they will be participating in three important international events — the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and the Hockey World Cup. The boys are really charged and are itching to prove themselves. They are highly motivated in bringing back the lost glory. Scientific training methods will be followed while moulding the players into world-class standards.

The areas of focus…

The main areas that will addressed in the camp are — improving the fitness level of the players, increase their confidence level that hit the nadir after the failure to qualify for the Beijing Olympics and educate them on their responsibility.

A few players have expressed their unhappiness on being left out of the camp, your take on that?

I believe the selection committee has picked the best lot for the camp. I have been instructed to mould these players into world-class players. My decision matters only in picking the team for a each match. If a player has been left out, he needs to do some introspection on his omission. This will help him stage a come back.

The fitness camp for junior national team probables is happening in Bhopal. Are there any chances of them making it to the senior squad?

I am in constant touch with their coach AK Bansal. He updates me on their game, fitness and skill. The young lads are showing a lot of encouragement and are enthusiastic about making it to the senior squad. We will assess them continuously and if they fit the bill, definitely yes.

Some have mentioned that playing against Pakistan will not help us much, and we have to play against teams like Holland, Germany and Australia. Your view?

Yes, I do agree with them. But, presently, the public have lost interest in hockey. First, we need to capture them. An India-Pakistan rivalry could provide us the momentum and at this crucial stage, a step-by-step approach is imperative.

There is some speculation about hiring a foreign coach…

As far the communication I have received I am currently the coach of the Indian team and my contract is valid until 2010. I would do my best in this period. The rest lies with the administration which currently is the Indian Olympic Association-appointed ad-hoc committee.

What are your plans to tide over the dearth of drag flickers?

We have three talented players in this category — VR Raghunath, Sandeep Singh and Diwakar Ram. They will be specially trained during this period. Also I believe we need to create a talent pool of 3-4 players focusing on specific roles in the game like goal-keeping, attack and defence. This will help us in playing a full strength team for any tournament, considering if the other is injured.

At the KSHA League a Namdhari player had attacked a referee. Is it very discouraging for the sport?

Violence is definitely not acceptable in any sport. Their coach Didar Singh, an Olympian, is a close friend of mine. I have seen their team and it has a lot of talented players. They are easily one of most talented sides and if they can discipline themselves on and off the field they will definitely will taste more success.

Namdharis might get banned from playing in Karnataka, your comments?

I sincerely hope that it does not happen because Karnataka and Mumbai have the two best leagues in the country. These two places provide the perfect platform for players to compete against the best. The best person who can sort it out amicably is K Krishnamurthy, the Secretary of KSHA. His contributions towards the development of hockey has been immense. Also Uday Kumar, the main sponsor of Namdhari, is an ardent promoter of hockey.

The camp is held on poly-grass surface, whereas international matches are held on astro-turf. How the players are going to make the adjustments?

I think it is irrelevant as practice on any surface should hold good. Of course, one needs to make necessary adjustments but that is the skill of an international player.