Against Pakistan, keep emotions in check, says Brasa

NEW DELHI: Every hockey lover must be looking forward to the clash between India and Pakistan on the opening day of the Hero Honda World Cup hockey tournament at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here on Sunday.

However, Jose Brasa, the chief coach of the Indian team, has advised his players to keep their emotions in control.

“The worst part of an India-Pakistan match is the emotional part. In Salta (in the Champions Challenge), our players got excited and tried to win the match very early. I hope that is not happening in the next match (versus Pakistan),” Brasa said, while interacting with the media here on Friday.

“We had opportunities in that match, but we could not control our emotions,” he added.

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Given a choice, Brasa said he would not mind losing to Pakistan and winning the World Cup. “It is a normal match, nothing more than that,” he said.

Pakistan captain Zeeshan Ashraf also refrained from giving too much attention to the fixture against India.

“It is great that the first match is against India. We had last played here in 2006. India will have the home advantage. However, the better team will win,” he said.

Brasa did not agree that the political tussle between the two countries would generate animosity among the players of both sides. “Sport is one of the best ways to show the politicians how to make friends. Our players share very good relationships with the Pakistanis. The coaching staff are also friendly… Sport is different from politics. Dialogue and communication is very important,” the Spaniard said.

The India coach ruled out the possibility of witnessing an unruly crowd. “People are much more civilised than we think,” he said.

Talking about the changes the Indian team had undergone in recent times, Brasa said: “We have done a lot of work on physical fitness. The team is now a little more fit. Besides, the tactics have changed. Now, we do man-to-man marking and the attacking system is different. As much as possible, we attack from both sides and also through the middle.”

He asserted that the team had “jumped over” the recent crisis and was focussed on doing “the best job” in the World Cup. In the practice games, India defeated Argentina and the Netherlands by an identical 2-1 margin.

“We are more solid than before. We showed 70 minutes of consistency, which was important for the team,” Brasa said.

On the presence of three penalty corner specialists — Sandeep Singh, Dhananjay Mahadik and Diwakar Ram — in the squad, he said the team was working hard on the conversion of short-corners.

“Sandeep is the best drag-flicker in the world, he will be the key player. We are also trying out a few combinations, a few variations,” Brasa said.

However, he did not want to commit what would be a good finish for the host. “We are here to fight a lot and do our best… I cannot say which position will be the best finish. There was a short time for preparation, we had some interruptions,” he said. Pressed further about the team’s semifinal aspirations, Brasa said: “That is our aim. But all the teams are strong. We will play to spring some surprises.”