K. ARUMUGAM

CR Kumar, chief coach of the Indian team at the 2023 FIH MHWC in Kuala Lumpur, is a rare survivor. This quiet cat had more than nine lives! He is easily one of the longest-serving coaches in the country. He is one devoid of flamboyance or fanfare but a person who stands out with humility and humbleness.

His patience is almost unbelievable.

There were obstacles in his long career. Some hurdles came in the way of the preparation of teams. There were more reverses in store in the roller coaster journeys in the field. He was often axed. Received appreciation rarely and faded into oblivion now and then. But, like spring after winter, he reemerged and claimed his rightful place.

C R Kumar in his 20s

Coaches of his calibre and duration have gained promotions and awards and climbed many ladders of fame but Kumar has not been so lucky. Yet, he survived an ecosystem that is anything but conducive. If anything, the whole set-up was intrusive and obtrusive.

Now, as he mentors the Indian Colts at the Junior World Cup, he derives as much attention as that of the team. Will he be successful here and claim fame?

The coming week will tell but a peep into his early days and fast-forwarding to the present will throw a wide range of emotion, excitement, and enterprise that he has traversed in the last three decades.

CR Kumar, former India international, came into coaching in the late 1990s as assistant coach to his Chennai mate Vasudevan Baskaran for the 1998 World Cup in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

KPS Gill who was the then President of the Indian Hockey Federation asked him to handle the Junior string in the aftermath of the Atlanta and Utrecht debacles. It was at this junction that the KPS-Jothi Kumaran combo laid out an envious junior development program, the benefits of which the country garners till this day.

Indian coach CR Kumar’s coaching career started in the mid 90s and endures even now

As a result, a well-known trio – CR Kumar, Harendra Singh, and Dr.Saju Joseph – emerged on the Indian horizon. CR Kumar and Harendra Singh in particular went on to dominate and be part of the Indian coaching scene for the next several decades. Whereas bio-mechanic expert and hockey coach Saju moved to Malaysia for various assignments after a decade of association with the duo.

One of their earliest tours was of Poland where India won the title at Poznan. CR Kumar was quick to decipher the growth of Poland and went on to share his findings with former senior colleague V Baskaran. However, in a cruel quirk, India failed to defeat Poland the very next year at the 2000 Sydney Olympics – the draw after the Poles scored a late equalizer denied India a semi-final spot.

That’s an aspect that distinguishes Kumar from many – the vision and reading of global hockey trends.

Colleagues Harendra Singh (l) and CR Kumar in 2007, watching Champions Trophy at Bukit Jalil facility

Says his long-time associate and celebrated coach Harendra Singh, who now trains the USA national teams: “CR Kumar is a coach of immense technical and tactical prowess, possessing a deep understanding of the game that sets him apart. His dedication to the sport and his players is truly admirable, matched only by his extensive and modern knowledge of hockey. His coaching style and expertise are excellent, consistently guiding the team towards success”.

Says Dr. Saju Joseph: “He is a stickler for discipline and dedicated to the task. The country should know he is the pioneer of total hockey and it was he who introduced it where it counted, at the junior level. The crop he pioneered went on to rule the roost for a decade.”

Dr Joseph is famed author of superhit book ‘Seizing the opportunity: The artist’s gallery for penalty corner and drag flicks’. He was referring to the early days when, for the first time, camps for Seniors, Development and Juniors were held simultaneously. It resulted in India beginning domination of Asia in that spell. Dr Joseph got to know more of him later while working with a Malaysian Institute as, around that time, Kumar was tasked to coach the Malaysian women’s team on a five-year contract.

‘Arjuna’ Viren Rasquinha

Viren Rasquinha, Arjuna awardee, one of the early birds to blossom under the famed trio’s tutelage, is all praise for Kumar. “CR Kumar was a very technical coach. He was extremely well organized and planned every training session and team meeting down to the tee. I thoroughly enjoyed playing and training under him because he taught me the importance of fitness, discipline and teamwork, and tactical awareness. No surprise therefore that almost the entire squad went on to play the Junior World Cup in 2001 in Hobart which India won for the first time.”

It was no secret that Kumar trained for the epoch-making 2001 Junior World Cup, but due to some choices made and subterranean currents, he was not with the team when counted at Hobart.

Was it a slip between the cup and the lip?

The phrase fits nicely!

If one looks closely at Kumar’s career, it was so near yet so far for him on several occasions. The Dronacharya award was denied to him at the last minute after the list was made public – that’s one just instance! Kumar, however, tided over the humiliation with humility. His is a classic case of patience. Nobody can say he ever lost his temper and forsook the professional cause.

What Harendra says is apt: “Beyond his coaching abilities, what truly distinguishes CR Kumar is his genuine nature as a human being. He exemplifies the values of empathy and altruism, always willing to extend a helping hand to those in need. His commitment to shaping remarkable athletes and nurturing good individuals is commendable and inspiring”.

Kodanapani Doraisamy, 82, a dozen of Tamil Nadu hockey, has this to say, “never seen such a calm player and then a composed coach. ‘Dorai’ knows Kumar since his college days and saw him grow up from District team to University, State and then for India.

CR Kumar says coaching techniques have evolved and the X-system or any other cannot be a fixed one. Coaches may have many ideas but what matters is how much players can take it, and what kind of players you have with you”. This is the foundation of thought on which the ongoing KL Jr World Cup rests.

It is because of his vision and selflessness he dropped some key players for the recently held Sultan of Johor Cup (where India finished third) to keep top players fit and injury-free unexposed for the current tournament.

The present World Cup campaign is by all means in safe hands. But will he able to steer the team to the pinnacle? He may be most knowledgeable but everything has to come together for ultimate success.

Players came and went. He has seen it all. A coach with science as his aid, Kumar, 62, will be watched closely now. Kumar played the Junior World Cup here 41 years ago. He has the same enthusiasm which he had then. However, being a long-time coach, only a title here will do justice to his career. Therefore, I feel KL will be a deciding factor, a turning point, and a moment of reckoning for CR the coach – more than for the team he guides.

LAST WORD BY HARENDRA SINGH: “In essence, CR Kumar isn’t just a remarkable coach; he is a beacon of excellence, both on and off the field. It’s an absolute honor to have worked alongside him and witnessed his unwavering dedication to the sport and the well-being of those around him.”