Give me 100 players, I’ll make India the best: Michael Nobbs
PUNE: Indian hockey team’s chief coach Michael Nobbs said that it was surprising that the standard of Indian hockey had fallen over the years despite players having the requisite talent and skill.
Nobbs is in the city with the Indian hockey team which is training for the London Olympics at a camp at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mhalunge-Balewadi. “If you give me more than a hundred players to train, India will be the best team on the planet within two years,” the Australian said. He said that the fall in standards over the years was purely due to “self-destruction”.
Speaking about some senior players who participated in the recent World Series Hockey (WSH) tournament, Nobbs said, “These players will not be taken back. Moreover, some of them are not fit. A few of them had criticized me in the media but it doesn’t bother me. I am here for the welfare and progress of the team,” he said. “Ten members of the junior team are practising with the seniors here.”
The Indian team will play in a four-nation tournament in May as preparation for the London Olympics. “We will play against some really tough nations,” Nobbs said. The other teams in the tournament are Great Britain, Germany and Australia.
When asked about the Asian Champions Trophy hero Yuvraj Walmiki’s injury, Nobbs said, “I am concerned about that. Hopefully, it should heal before the Olympics.” Yuvraj suffered a hamstring injury during the Olympic qualifying matches in New Delhi. He is undergoing rehabilitation under doctor Lt Col BK Nayak and trainer David John.
The Indian team has been practicing, for the first time, with the yellow-coloured Kookaburra balls at the camp here. Kookaburra balls will be used during the Olympics too, said Hockey India’s executive director Anupam Ghulati. Ghulati, who is also attending the camp, said the team will practice on the blue-coloured synthetic pitch in Santander, northern Spain, just before the Olympics. “The weather there will be similar to that in London. The team will play a tournament involving Spain and Great Britain in Santander, before proceeding for the Olympics,” he said.
After returning from the four-nation tournament, India will participate in the Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia from May 24 to June 3. Malaysia, Argentina, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Korea will be the other teams.
The Indian juniors who are practising with the senior team here at Balewadi, will participate in the Asian junior championships to be held in Malaysia from May 3 to 13.