New Delhi, 8 Jan 2014: The Indian chief coach Terry Walsh felt that the Indian team’s hard work for the last one month has made the team ready to take on the stalwarts of hockey in the nine-day Hero Hockey World League finals beginning Jan 10, but cautioned that it was work in progress as India needs to make large improvements in a wide variety of areas to make its way to the top.
He was visibly pleased with the high quality of hockey, against giants the Netherlands, but agreed that “defence is still the Achilles Heel’’. For the record, the Netherlands won the practice game 2-0 after playing three 20-minute sessions.
“We had a poor start and it was a silly defensive error. The defence had been completely caught unawares,’’ he said. The Indian coach was referring to the fourth-minute mistake where India conceded a penalty corner. “One moment of lapse can change the entire complexion of the game. So it is not only important to play well but you have to be alert and cannot afford to lose guard even for a moment. That’s where the mental state makes the difference,’’ he added.
Indian defender and penalty corner specialist VR Raghunath could not convert the lone chance he got from a penalty corner in the practice game today. But the Karnataka lad will be carrying the burden of the team’s expectations and success during the set-piece drills as a drag-flicker.
“We are all in good shape and we are focusing one match at a time. Right now our target is to beat England in the first match and we are confident that we will win,’’ said the 25-year-old Raghunath, who is the second highest capped player in the current team with 148 caps after Sardara Singh (174).
“You have seen the fitness and the general play. I have to say that the team is in much better shape when compared to a couple of months back. We are on track and we will do well,” said a confident custodian Sreejesh PR (88 caps).
Meanwhile, England coach Bobby Crutchley went on record saying that “playing against India on their home ground will be an experience for England and we always look forward to it.”
The England team meets India on Friday on the opening day. After a practice game today against New Zealand, Crutchley, said: “We are confident of our match against India and hoping to start the tournament with a win. It’s always a pleasure to play India in India.”
“The much-awaited tournament for every player is the World Cup. We will take many experiences from here which will be helpful for us in the World Cup. The best 8 hockey teams playing against each other provide an immense opportunity to the players to learn from each other and it is an experience not to be missed,” he added.