Normally, selection of coaches for national team is an administrative matter. Authorities concerned take the input from technical people, select a person based on their input, weigh pros and cons, and then work out the modalities of appointment. Whatever the technical input, its administrators who have to see all other angle including financial capability, availability of the coach concerned etc etc.

For long, there has been a demand that players should run the sports bodies. Believe it or not, the adhoc committee gave full freedom to the Selection Committee to run the show. Either you translate it to their disinterest in hockey or shrieking their responsibility, but the fact of the matter was these players really got a rare opportunity to show to the world they can run the show. But they let themselves down, making mockery of chief coach issue.

In the context of MK Kaushik’s issue – he is forced to stick to women hockey despite his preference to men’s hockey – both the Adhoc Committee and the Selection Committee, in particular its chairman Ajit Pal Singh, come out poorly.

Its Ajit Pal who announced the Kaushik’s name for men’s chief coach and his support coaches. He signed the press release, he spoke in the television, clarified issues to print media persons as well.

I don’t think in the history of Indian hockey, a player ever had the honour of announcing the chief coach, like the one Ajit Pal had a couple of days ago. It has always been an unwritten rule in hockey, the presidents of IHF who reveled and relished this hour.
At the same, it’s pity Ajit Pal let go the opportunity to ascertain player power. It appears he did not do his homework. Taking decision is a responsibility. One has to weigh all the things, practicability etc etc before taking a decision.

It looks Ajit Pal did a casual job despite getting a rare opportunity. By this, he has also let down those who gave him responsibility, expected him to deliver.

It’s he who took the oral consent of Kaushik, and then after two days, announced him as the chief coach. Duty demands Ajit Pal took consent of all concerned before making his decision public. He knew well Kaushik is linked to women’s hockey and at least for courtesy sake he should have consulted IWHF. His reply in the visual media that he will select somebody else for women hockey was atrocious in any case.

Ajit Pal should take moral responsibility now and talk to Minister as to why he took the decision, logic behind and try to see his decision prevails.

I bet he won’t do anything of that sort. As always happens in such situation, he mobile goes off.

Now, his incompetent trait had put the ad-hoc committee in a tricky tract. They have to now fire-fight just because they believed for a while the players can deliver.

Note: A leading newspaper today reported ‘In a stunning turnaround Kaushik has decided to go back to the national women’s team’.

This is totally wrong. Kaushik has made his stand clear when he said repeatedly “in any given day my preference is to men’s hockey than the women’s”. Kasuhik is also unhappy the way women hockey training programmes are planned and managed. He also spoke his mind to various newspapers on his vision on men’s hockey, giving proof of his choice.

All said and done, he is a paid employee and is bound to do what their pay masters asked him to.

At least media can desist from soiling his name, avoiding wrong reporting.