Harender, Sandeep differ on foreign coach
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 11:
Indian hockey coach Harender Singh stressed the need to have a foreign coach to give a new direction to the game in the country as he felt that the training methods of European coaches were far superior to their counter parts in Asia. No wonder, European teams rule the roost in international hockey now.
But young captain Sandeep Singh sounded a different note, as he felt that it did not matter whether a foreign coach was at the helm or not, but what mattered was that whoever coached the national team should be able to take the country to a higher level.
Harender, along with the team, who finished second in the Punjab Gold Cup, were in Delhi on way to Australia and New Zealand to play a Test series. The coach observed that the Indian team were not able to realise their full potential due to the absence of expert, modern coaching.
He observed that India had never really produced good coaches in comparison to the foreign teams, particularly the European teams. He said the foreign teams did well as they were lucky to get the right kind of coaching, with thrust on improving skills and techniques while what the Indian players lacked was proper guidance.
“Otherwise, there is not much difference between the Indian players and their European counterparts. Our players are no less when it comes to playing abilities,” he elaborted. India will play a two-Test series in Australia followed by a four-Test tour of New Zealand.
Captain Sandeep Singh was not too concerned about whether the team were being trained by a foreign coach or an Indian expert. “Our job is to play and play well. The decision to appoint a foreign coach is the job of the administrators.
“We are more keen to give good performances against Australia and New Zealand than bothering about who would be the foreign coach,” Sandeep said.
He said the present Indian team had some flaws, which needed to be corrected for the team to progress to the next level. “Our defence and mid-field would have to play better”, he noted.
Courtesy: Tribune