Harendra to stay, foreign experts to be hired by HI

UTHRA G CHATURVEDI

The five-member committee formed to identify and approach foreign experts includes, Pargat, development director SS Grewal, AB Subbiah, Col. Balbir Singh and Jagbir Singh.

THE Indian men’s team will get a sports psychologist, a technical expert and possibly a trainer, all foreigners.

This decision was taken at the coaching and development committee meeting of Hockey India held here to access the reasons for India’s disappointing performance at the Azlan Shah hockey tournament.

Paul Lissek, a renowned coach and master tactician, is the frontrunner for the post of technical expert, while Mike Horne, a sports psychologist who has worked with the Indian cricket team, could take over as a mental conditioning coach. To improve the fitness levels of the team, a foreign physical trainer will also be hired.

National coach Harendra Singh is set to retain his job in spite of the poor show during the Azlan Shah Gold Cup, a tournament in which the defending champions finished a lowly sixth.

Sources informed that Harendra, drag-flick coach Jugraj Singh and goalkeeping coach Romeo James are likely to stay on. But physiotherapist Shrikant Iyengar, trainer Pradip Dutta is likely to get the boot after the appointment of the foreign trainer.

While those who came under the scanner got the opportunity to explain the reasons for the loss, there appeared to be a consensus on continuing with the present staff for the immediate future. The need for a foreign expert — a longstanding demand by the technical committee headed by Pargat Singh — was finally been accepted.

Harendra Singh, who was in charge of the team in Malaysia, had said even before returning that he had identified two foreign experts whose services he would need in order to ensure better results and consistency.

HI secretary general Narinder Batra admitted that no one was satisfied with the team’s performance. “We had a level at the Asian Games, and the levels were definitely below that at Azlan Shah,” Batra said.

“We will also have a meeting with the captain and the players within a week to seek their views also on the team’s performance,” Batra said.

The five-member committee formed to identify and approach foreign experts includes, Pargat, development director SS Grewal, AB Subbiah, Col. Balbir Singh and Jagbir Singh.

“Indian hockey’s image is not very good when it comes to employing foreigners to help our team. But we will try to get the best for the team and payment will not be an issue. There is an FIH panel of elite coaches and the committee members are all former players with their own personal contacts. We hope to finalise things soon,” Batra said.

Batra, however, said the federation was working to get Dr BK Nayak back with the team.
“We have nothing to do with it.

We want him, he knew every player’s ability and capacity and I admit the team did suffer in his absence.

But he is employed with the Indian Army and their internal politics is hampering his relieving. The Sports Ministry is working on it with the Defence Ministry and we hope to resolve the issue soon,” he added.