Indian Doha Players Rated
Shashank Gupta was recently in Doha, covering the Asian Champions Trophy 2012 exclusive for us. He has taken all the trouble in assessing each player of the Indian team so that we get to know everybody’s contribution to the success or failure of our national team. You may agree or don’t agree with his rating points, but he is the only journalist from India to see them in action. It is fairly sure, as a true s2h writer he has not gone by popular view of players, but strictly their performance in this particular tournament — Editor.
PR Sreejesh: He returned to national side after missing out Australian tour. It was his time of comeback which is a mixed bag. India conceded 12 goals in the tournament, 10 in the last two games. That aptly questions Sreejesh’s performance under real challenge. When the team is relaxed or is under high pressure, it gets reflected on his performance. Penalty corner defence is one area that he seems to walk many more miles. Rating: 6/10
PT Rao: The 34-year old Rao was not adequately played in Doha. He was fielded for about 30 minutes against Oman. Oman didn’t enter the Indian circle even once that time!. Rating: Cannot be done.
VR Raghunath: He has improved hugely on his defense skills. He is also the best bid for India at penalty corners. Many a times, Raghu scored through ground flicks, and expectedly, the opposition had no clue of his guile grounders. Raghu moves forward along with the team, knows about each and every player’s position and keeps the on-field communication on. He has worked on his physique too. Conceding soft-corners is what Raghu needs to work upon. However, 3 Green and 1 Yellow card from 6 matches aptly reflect his grey area. Rating: 8/10
Rupinderpal Singh: He hardly made any mistakes in the deep defense and diffused a number of attacks single-handedly. A few soft corners stand against him though. He has been given ample opportunity at the penalty corners at Doha, but could not inspire confidence, need to work on his conversion techniques in high pressure situations. Rating: 7/10
Birendra Lakra: Although, Lakra’s position is half-back, Lakra wears the hat of both a forward and defender. Generating moves, accurate passes, stealing balls and scoring goals, Lakra stands out with his performance. He remains the unsung hero of the team in the mid-field. Rating: 9/10.
Harbir Singh: With Rupinder and Raghunath as seasoned full-backs now, this inexperienced player was used to give break to the senior defenders. He rose to the occasions, and did fairly well. That is what is expected from a rookie defender, fresh in the National team. Rating: 6/10
Dharamvir Singh: Dharamvir is brilliant with his run down with the flanks but is poor in finishing. Dharamvir perhaps needs to take on more responsibility at center, and need better co-ordination with centre-forward Gurwinder Singh Chandi. If the duo combine, they can prove to be a thorn in the flesh of any defence. He also needs to distribute and rotate the ball more than what he is doing now. Rating: 6/10.
Danish Mujtaba: Danish has come a long way from his dismal performance in the Olympics. He is still capable of lot more.Danish also does the neat job of stopping the ball during short corners. Danish, despite his dynamism and enthusiasm, did now show accuracy and acumen in ball trapping. Surprising for a forward, who has been in the national team for over three years. Rating:7/10.
Gurwinder Singh Chandi: Chandi scored just 3 goals in the tournament. Unfortunately, he kept on missing many chances, which are almost sitters. However, much depended on his game for India to succeed. Whenever Chandi displayed one-touch Hockey, and moved well, team struck a goal, directly by him or someone else. Poor finishing and trapping on the run remain a concern for him. Rating: 6/10.
Akashdeep Singh: Akash is the youngest of the Indian Doha lot. His inexperience showed up when he was in the shooting circle. His shots were hurried ones, often wayward. There is promise in this player; he just needs good training at the highest level. Rating: 5/10.
SV Sunil: Barring the finals, this player looked off-color in the tournament. Sunil tends to hold on to the ball for a very long, dribbles needlessly and although this player is fleet-footed, by the time he releases the ball with his unnecessary lateral movements across the field, a number of defenders have fallen back and the move falls flat. His circle penetration has been poor in the right flank, as his pattern is fairly predictable. Only when he had the ball in the shooting range and the angle was apt, he was on-target. Last but not the least; he needs to look up while running. He is the only player in the team who doesn’t do that. Rating: 5/10.
Nithin Thimmaiah: Nithin did not live up to expectations in the tour. Fast, but poor in trapping. The coach gave him ample opportunity to prove his worth but center flank remained extremely weak because of his poor trap and other game skills. He has to go a long way. Rating: 4/10.
Chinglensana Singh: This player is the find-out-of the tournament. A number of precise dispatches came inside the circle from the left flank, as the Manipuri player excelled in the area. He has huge potential, and it was fairly visible in Doha. Rating: 7/10
Somanna Pradhan: Somanna produced some very good passes whenever he was fielded. He wasn’t on for very long on turf and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He needs to work on his physique. In top-notch matches, his current physique will be a big disadvantage. Rating: 7/10
Aiyappa: Aiyappa did decently in this first outing with the Indian team. He needs to generate more power in his flick. If he doesn’t work on his physique and power, this young player may find the going tough in future. Rating: 5/10.
Kothajit Singh: This midfielder needs to be credited with the silent work he does from the left flank. He relayed a number of balls from the Indian quarter and cleared a lot of moves for India. Indian team must be looking forward for more from him. Rating: 6/10.
Sardar Singh: The captain of the team is tired. He was not at his best because of an excessive Hockey and overly dependent mid-field on him.Give him a break, he will reach the bar he has established for himself and raise it even further. Rating: 6/10.
Manpreet Singh: The youngster has built on his image of being a half back. Manpreet was to play the role of Sardar whenever Sardar was out of the turf. He did so with conviction.His presence in the defense gives it a lot of stability. Rating: 7/10.