World Cup team selection is devoid of debate and excitement; and the joy is simply not there.
The Indian team has been announced for the home World Cup on Saturday after traial. This is at least what the official version, as its press release states.
Nobody knows how many days the trials were conducted, how many sessions and what were the observations of our ‘enlightened’ selectors!
A World Cup team selection is a big event; announcement comes at the end of serious processes. The whole nation waits for the suspense and drama that accompanies these processes.
Nothing of that sort happened this time. It is all the more sad because the World Cup is on the home soils.
Trails were normally in the glare of public and media, often for three days – that is three days of excitement and expectation. Then it came down to three sessions. Now on Saturday, it was just one solitary session!
What the selectors could have observed in one session?
Why can’t we be frank and forthright, yes, let the chief coach selects the team, we have nothing to do with it. That case, a global phenomenon, we can call it professional, and let the chief coach talk about his mind to convince his team. (in fact, the coach was to just make out three standbyes, as only 21 were in the trails)
Instead, we chose the beaten path, again showed our hypocrisy and had a farce enacted in the name of trails.
Till recently things were not like this. Dates of trials will be made known a week before. Specialist reporters covered the trails, people followed each day’s reports. They also came and watched the trails.
These led to health discussions, even among those involved in the decision making.
Even players used to eagerly wait for the next day’s newspapers, keen to know what the world’s opinion of them.
Trials not only gave opportunity for the players to showcase their ware, but also for the public and media to catch up with them.
At the end, teams were announced in a press meet, always in the presence of selectors and media.
Selectors had a hell lot of time to explain inclusion and exclusion of players. Who was correct was not the issue, but system was correct, everything was in public domain. Players views, grouse and everything was carefully carried to public knowledge, without harming anyone in the process.
This is how popular sport need to conduct itself.
There were differing views from the Federation, Coaching Staff, players and media. The nation remembered everybody’s. Those came in for scrutiny after the mega event. So, people were careful before saying anything.
This kept everybody on toes, as well. Opinion makers cannot be biased, reporters cannot be one-sided, and the process thus led to credibility. A healthy sport and a healthy atmosphere were the results.
But what happened on Saturday was wrong, unbecoming of a popular sport.
Sponsor Hero Honda is spending a fortune to popularize the World Cup. After Virender Shewag, popular cricketer, and Olympic silver medalist Rajyavarthan Singh Rathod, it’s Priyanka Chopra, leading lady of cine world, who is coming on small screen and are informing and inviting everyone of us for the World Cup.
Had there been proper selection build up, World Cup would have got the added publicity it deserved.
The closed door approach is killing the spirit of the game, the feeling for hockey. Sport is not just participation, winning and losing. It’s all about feeling, the sentiments, the genuineness of effort from every body.
We have lost another genuine joy that goes with hockey