Halappa wants Brasa process to continue

Aby Jose

BANGALORE: The new Indian hockey captain Arjun Halappa feels the team should be focused on the goal of claiming an Olympic berth in the next year’s London Games and continuing the prevalent style of play is crucial in attaining that.

Halappa, who was named captain for the first time in his career, for the upcoming Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia, is for continuity in the process – both in the training module and execution of plans.

“We have believed in a system for the past two years and people have started realizing its benefits. We are playing a little bit like the Europeans with emphasis on man-to-man marking and thrust on defence where even the forwards fall back to help the defenders. In essence, it is a simple and basic way of playing hockey. It’s better not to bring in lot of drastic changes as our goal is to regain the Olympic berth,” said Halappa, the first player from Karnataka since Anil Aldrin in the late-90s to captain the national team.

“Continuity is preferable in the coaching set-up too. Harendra (Singh) has been around with us for some time and it is important to have his services now. It could have been good if Brasa too was available but then it is not in our hands,” adds Halappa.

The dynamic midfielder has been provided with a young team in what could be a competitive field in the premier hockey tournament of Malaysia with a slew of seniors being rested and the influential duo of Sandeep Singh and Sardar Singh missing out due to their inability to turn up at the selection camp. But Halappa considers this as an opportunity for youngsters.

“It is a big challenge for the youngsters and for me as the captain. I would love to guide the youngsters. Undoubtedly, the senior guys are not going to play after another five-six years. So it is important to develop a strong back-up line, whose services can be utilized if any emergency comes up. A competitive tournament like Azlan Shah is a big stage for the youngsters to show their mettle,” points out Halappa.

The new skipper admits the inexperience in the team will be felt with the likes of Sandeep and Sardar not around. “They are big-match players and any team would feel the heat if such players are not on the field,” says Halappa.

Penalty-corner conversion will be an area where the lack of experience can have a big impact though Dhananjay Mahadik has been with the team for some time now and Diwakar Ram has enjoyed a high success rate. “It’s important to be patient with them. It’s not right to expect five or six goals from the drag-flickers straightaway against teams such as Australia. It is a process and will take time,” notes Halappa.

Coach Harendra believes Halappa earned the right for captaincy rather becoming a stop-gap choice. “He has matured a lot as a player and stands out even among the seniors with his composed and calm presence. He has the quality to lead the side and more importantly, he is one player who gels with the youngsters easily,” says Harendra.