Mumbai: Till recently, there was a sense of i n s e c u r i t y among players and coaches alike. Their s u r v iva l hinged upon the whims and fancies of a few members of the erstwhile Indian Hockey Federation.
After the disbanding of the IHF by the Indian Olympic Association, it seems, things are changing for the better. In what could be called a welcome step towards this direction, the ad hoc committee manning Indian hockey on Wednesday announced the appointment of M K Kaushik as the national coach. He will be assisted by Harendra Singh and Ramandeep Singh. The important thing is, they have been told of their tenure too—till the end of the 2010 Asian Games in China.
“It’s indeed a welcome step,’’ said Harendra on Thursday, on the sidelines of the ongoing Guru Tegh Bahadur Memorial hockey tournament here. “Now that we know the time frame, we can plan out things accordingly. Two years is enough to bring at least some positive change in the game. We no more have that sense of insecurity. If I myself feel insecure, how can I make my players feel secure?’’
Kaushik was the coach when India last won the Asian Games gold in 1998. But he was unceremoniously sacked soon after and replaced by V Baskaran. Of course, no reasons were given for his sacking. “There are many such examples,’’ says former India fullback and current Punjab Police coach Manpreet Singh. “The players take time to gel, and once they start playing as a unit, there’s this chopping and changing. Unless the player knows his position is safe, how can he perform to his best?’’
Adds Harendra, “it’s a big responsibility for us now. Considering the current state of Indian hockey , it’s a huge task. The immediate aim for us is the Asian Games, and next is the 2012 Olympics. For several years now we have had to go through the qualifiers, now we aim to qualify directly, by winning the Asian Games gold in 2010. The hard work begins now.’’
The ad hoc committee has also announced a list of 48 probables for the World Cup, Asia Cup and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. There have been a few key omissions in the list, particularly that of the Tirkeys — Dilip and Ignace. “The main thing is to build a nucleus for the future. The players have been selected keeping that in mind. This is not the final list. We already know the calibre of players like Dilip. He does not have to prove anything to anybody. He can always be taken in whenever the need arises. But there are several others who have not been tasted on the big stage yet. We have to build a pool of 30 players who can serve India for long,’’ Harendra explains.