Bangalore: Kaushik goes back to women’s fold

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Bangalore: In a stunning turnaround, Maharaj Krishon Kaushik has decided to go back to the national women’s team a few days after he was talked about as the new messiah of the beleaguered men’s side.

Kaushik is understood to have given his consent to the Indian Women’s Hockey Federation (IWHF) on Saturday after its technical director MP Ganesh convinced him that his place belonged in the women’s team. Having re-appointed Kaushik as their national coach last year, it was only logical that the IWHF asserted themselves after the Indian Olympic Association’s ad hoc committee, running the men’s hockey affairs in the country, stole their thunder by roping the Olympian in.

“Kaushik might have had problems working with the women’s hockey team earlier. But all issues have been sorted out. He has readily agreed to work with us,” Ganesh told TOI.

Kaushik will join the women’s camp at the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Bangalore in three-four days.

“The IWHF has also sorted out Kaushik’s other major worry. His deputation to SAI has been cleared by the government. He will soon be relieved by the Haryana Sports Department. This was a serious hurdle before as he could not get enough leave whenever he was asked to attend the camps.”

After the IWHF outburst, where its secretary Amrit Bose accused the ad hoc committee of lacking in ethics, Kaushik had said that he would go by the advice of SAI and the sports ministry.

Having agreed to IWHF’s request, it looks as if the persuasive powers of SAI and the government wouldn’t be required to sort out the imbroglio.

However, the Olympian’s decision leaves the ad hoc committee in a bind. A top panel member had only this to say: “Kaushik has not been appointed as the men’s team coach yet. The selection committee proposed his name to the ad hoc panel after he agreed to work with us. They also selected 48 probables as per instructions. What happened after that we really wouldn’t know.”