Mukesh tips Australia for World Cup crown

Chennai, Feb. 9: Former Indian star N. Mukesh Kumar said Australia would be the front-runners for the hockey World Cup, starting at New Delhi from February 28. “Australia have incorporated the best of two styles — Asian and European — to their game. They attack like Asians and defend like Europeans. Effective man-to-man marking is the bedrock of their success,” he added.

Mukesh said dribbling and dodging haven’t lost their importance. “To say that modern hockey doesn’t value skilful play is not right. For instance, some of the Australian players are better dribblers and dodgers than Indians and Pakistanis. They have the medals to show for their success. The critical point is using skills on appropriate areas of the pitch,” he explained.

Having played at the highest level for more than a decade, Mukesh knows how teams such as Australia and Germany derive maximum advantage from the game’s ever-changing rules. “No team uses rolling substitution better than Australia. That is why their players never seem to tire on the field. An Australian coach doesn’t worry about the reputation of a player. He is only concerned whether the player has the energy to launch quick counter attacks,” he said.

According to Mukesh, Indian coaches are conservative in using the bench. “Our coaches keep the star players on the field forever with a hope that they will do something special. Often, they don’t have a strong bench to fall back on in times of urgency,” he added.

The Hyderabad resident predicted that Australia’s toughest challenge would come from Germany and the Netherlands. “From my experience as player, I can say Germany are the toughest opponents in hockey. They work like a machine and don’t relax until the final buzzer. Germans are also masters at mind games. During his peak, Dhanraj Pillay had often been at the receiving end of Germany’s sharp tongue and provocative action,” he informed.

T.N. Raghu