Indian team has got an incredible start at the Junior World Cup being played at Boston, U.S.A. India have defeated a strong team like Australia in its opening encounter and is looking pretty good for the forthcoming matches.
Coach M.K. Kaushik feels it’s not very surprising to achieve such result in the first match itself. He had certain expectations from his team and the girls didn’t disappoint him. He has fill faith in his team but simultaneously, he feels that the future matches would be tougher, so the team should be ready to take on the challenge.
Kaushik gives credit of this victory to the whole team, not to any particular player. “It’s a team sport, and in the match against the Australians, we played like a team. If our defence gave away 10 penalty corners, then our goal-keeper did a better job. So we played like a unit and got the success” said the veteran coach.
Yes, those 10 penalty corners do bother him. “We should have not given away 10 PCs.” he said. “We have to learn a lot about some techniques. Also, things like hitting stick on opponent’s stick, hard tackle inside the 25-yard line don’t give the other team a PC in our domestic hockey, but in the international circuit, they do. And we are habitual of doing that. So we will have to adjust to the situation. Plus, the Australians know how to make a penalty corner. And we have to be very careful for the future matches” he added.
Talking of PCs, there’s something to smile about as well. Counting the Indian team’s strengths in the first match, Kaushik says, “They had 10 PCs and scored only once, while we got one goal from the 4 PCs. Not only during set-pieces, we had an upper hand during filed goals also. They suddenly started playing very aggressively, so there were open spaces and we counter-attacked.”
“But this is not going to be that easy from now on, because every team does its home-work. They will surely watch the recordings of this match and we will have to be alert” warns Kaushik.
Who is the strongest threat for the Indian team in this world cup? Kaushik feels that the Indian team itself is its biggest opponent. “We don’t deliver consistently, that’s the biggest problem. We will have to keep the momentum going and will have to play each match as it’s the final of the tournament. If we do that, then no one can stop us” says the confident coach.
So India has tasted blood in its very first match and should stick to its natural style of play, feels Kaushik. “Our natural style is attacking hockey and we will do that only. If we do that, and work on our weaknesses, we will surely do well” he concludes.
All the best, Kaushik.