Indian hockey at crossroads…

By Mihir Vasavda | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

“Ganesha will not win you matches. You have to take that stick and score goals. Trust your abilities. You have it in abundance,” Indian hockey coach Jose Brasa, at his wittiest best, instructed one of the players.

It was a cool November evening and with the World Cup in sight, the national camp was on in full swing at the Balewadi Sports Complex, Pune. Brasa had just taken over the reigns from the then coach in-charge Harendra Singh, still getting accustomed to the Indian-way.

“No, no, not like this,” he yelled from one end of the pitch to the other. “Look up when you pass the ball; look at the player you want to pass to. Develop an eye contact,” he barked out at the player, in a thick Spanish accent. Romeo James then translated the instructions to the player in Hindi.

Brasa was a taskmaster. He began his stint by teaching the ‘gifted’ Indian lot how to trap a ball and how to pass. Disgusted by the approach, five players boycotted the camp, signalling discontentment in the squad. A couple of months later, he took on the authorities, insisting they fulfil his demands.

Brasa’s way of functioning, in a way, showed everything that goes wrong when a ‘firang’ takes charge of the Indian hockey team: the cultural differences, players’ egos and most of all, the unwritten rule that he cannot confront the decision-makers.

Brasa wanted a sports psychologist when the players left it to their god to win them matches. He never realised that the self-esteem was so fragile that advice would mean an ‘insult’.

Let’s not get into his confrontations with Hockey India.

Now that he is certain to be a ‘thing of the past’ and as the officials scratch their heads to find his replacement, the sensitivity of this issue among the players — the most affected lot — cannot be missed. It is a topic very few of them want to talk about and come on record. And why would they? After all, their opinions count for nothing. And by voicing out their opinions, they wouldn’t want to rub their ‘bosses’ the wrong way.

But how different is it to play under a foreign coach compared to an Indian? “Not much,” says Shivendra Singh. “Both have the pros and cons. You just have to adjust to the style he adopts,” the forward puts it quite diplomatically.

Upon further quizzing, he opens up. “Foreign coaches adopt a more modern style. They add finesse to our playing style. Bring in proper, effective planning. Focus is more on the technical aspects of the game. With an Indian coach, the focus is more on our natural skills. It is more instinctive. I won’t say there is no game-planning, but compared to a foreigner it is less,” he adds.

Another player points out, “Under Indian coaches, you just attack. Under a foreigner, you build an attack.”

In an era when Australia’s machine-like game has become a benchmark for the world to match, the players wonder if India’s traditional coaching methods will be effective. “The problem is not with the Olympians who want to coach the team. Do they have the practical knowledge? When we play in European countries, we can see how their coaches relate and utilise football tactics in hockey. Can our coaches do that?” asks one of them.

One thing that gave the Indian coaches an edge over their foreign counterparts was the rapport they shared with the players. With 90% of the players not able to speak English, communication was a problem but Brasa’s tenure changed that too.

“He not only tried and managed to understand our problems but he also won our confidence. He developed great chemistry with the players. The healthy atmosphere in the dressing room translated into good performances on the field,” admits a player, who went on to add that the last time any coach enjoyed such confidence from players was Rajinder Singh in 2003.

Brasa has produced results too. While cynics may point out the opposite, numbers do reveal something — if not everything. Under him, India have won 31 matches, lost 18 and drawn 9. That includes a first-ever medal at the CWG (silver) and a bronze at the Asiad after finishing fifth in 2006. An 8th place finish at the World Cup was also, as a matter of fact, India’s best finish in 12 years.

So when Pargat Singh, Hockey India’s newly-appointed technical director, sits down to short-list the candidates his task is cut-out. While majority of the players are willing to give him an extended tenure, Hockey India thinks otherwise. It is certain that once again the players’ wish won’t be considered. The question is — will they go for a ‘firang’ again?