All credit to young team: Indian hockey team coach Nobbs

Manuja Veerappa DC Bengaluru

A little over two months ago when Australian Michael Nobbs took over as the Indian hockey team coach, he was welcomed with controversies.

Whether it was senior players’ walking out of the camp or Sandeep Singh and Sardara Singh pulling out of the Asian Champions Trophy at the last minute, quarrels were been a constant in the country’s hockey scenario.

Having taken along a raw combination for the inaugural Asian event, Nobbs will return to India with a winning squad on Tuesday morning.

While the triumph may not be entirely game-changing for Indian hockey, it surely is a head start for the Olympic qualifiers.

Speaking about the team’s performance in the final, Nobbs said, “We had a very poor first half. I think the boys were a little overawed playing in the final.

“In the second half, we settled down to our game plan and played much better. From six weeks training and a basically new team we really did perform above my expectations. That’s a credit to the youth of the team.”

The fact that the team signed off from the tournament without a loss was a huge plus for Nobbs. “I would say it was outstanding to come through without losing a match. Full credit to the boys’ enthusiasm, and skills.”

While Nobbs stressed on the overall team effort, when asked to pick the performers of the tournament, he said, “Gurbaj Singh, Sreejesh, Bharat Chetri (the two goalkeepers), Manjit Kullu and Ignace Tirkey were very good. But it would be really hard to really single any player out as they all played very well.”
Nobbs, who added that he was excited to begin his Indian hockey innings with a victory, believed the pressure was now going to be on the team.

“Of course there will be pressure, but the pressure is a good thing as we need to perform under pressure.”

The team will attend a Hockey India felicitation in New Delhi on Tuesday before heading to their respective homes.

They are expected to regroup at the SAI, South Centre for the national camp on September 22.