Be aggressive but keep your cool, Rajpal advises Dhoni

MS Dhoni knows how emotional India’s cricket-crazy janta can get. A defeat in the World Cup final may not hurt them as much as a loss to Pakistan would! Ditto with hockey. Despite the waning interest — err, isn’t it our national game? —it can’t get bigger than an India-Pakistan match.

For the record, the Indian hockey team defeated the Pakistan outfit on four occasions last year, losing just once (SAF Games in Dhaka). Starting with the World Cup, the Rajpal Singh-led unit registered wins in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, the Commonwealth Games and, finally, at the Asian Games to cap off an excellent 4-1 head-to-head record in 2010.

“We were under huge pressure before the World Cup. It was the opening match of the tournament and the build-up to the event was marred by controversies. However, 20 minutes into the game, the momentum was clearly on our side.

“And there was no looking back. Fans gathered at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in New Delhi also played their part and we beat Pakistan 4-1. In the process, we also avenged the loss we suffered in the Champions Challenge in 2009,” India captain Rajpal Singh told DNA on Sunday.

Right frame of mind

The sardar wants Team India to be in the right frame of mind. “There were times when thoughts of the humiliating 1-7 defeat to Pakistan (1982 Asian Games) crossed our minds.

“That loss led to the downfall of hockey in our country. However, we tried to be positive during our training sessions and eventually won the match,” he recalled.

Avoid media, focus on plans

National coach Harendra Singh believes the players should stay away from the media. “I advised my players not to read the papers or follow the news channels. The incessant coverage adds pressure and buckles you down,” he said. He feels the players should distance themselves from the world and should concentrate on their plans. “It is important that you not let the expectations of a billion people affect your game,” the coach said.

And when the opposition is Pakistan, there are bound to be heated moments on the field. The coach clearly remembers the war of words between Gautam Gambhir and Shahid Afridi during the third ODI at Kanpur in 2007. “Such moments will be common during the semifinal game as Pakistan are an emotional side and they play with a lot of aggression. But I always tell my boys to play aggressively, not talk or abuse aggressively,” he added.

The former India defender recollected an incident during the Junior Asia Cup in 2004. “We were playing in Karachi and some boys from their camp were needling us. They even abused us and two of our boys lost their temper. However, we regrouped, decided to focus on the task at hand and managed to lift the trophy.”

Don’t lose your cool

Meanwhile, Rajpal said he makes it a point to keep his cool whenever India meet Pakistan. “I play aggressively against Australia and Holland. I have had a few altercations against these teams, but never against Pakistan. In any case, the atmosphere is volatile,” he said. Says Harendra, “I show my players a couple of scenes from the movie Border, play videos of Dhanraj Pillay’s electric moves and the famous Lata Mangeshkar number, Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon. It fires them up.”

While the melody queen’s inspirational song did the trick for the hockey team, ironically, it will be India’s ‘hockey anthem’, Chak De India, which will be blaring at the PCA Stadium in Mohali.