DNA: This tournament will bring back glory of Indian women’s hockey: Harendra Singh

Rutvick Mehta

“Training mein, meetings mein, khane ke waqt, sote, jaagte woh sirf medals ki hi baat karte rehte hai (during training, meetings, while eating, sleeping, waking up, he only talks about medals),” says a player from the Indian women’s hockey team.

The player here is defender Deepika Thakur, the “woh” is head coach Harendra Singh.

Ever since the most revered coach in Indian hockey was asked to take over the reins of the women’s team last September, there’s been a massive paradigm shift. Not just within the group, but also outside.

Thus, as the Rani Rampal-led team gears up for the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, there’s a sense of belief among the girls after a prolonged period of stagnation, coupled by expectations from passionate hockey fans.

The primary reason for that is Harendra, the 2016 Junior World Cup-winning coach, and his almost manic obsession of grilling a winning mindset into the team over the six months he has been at the helm so far.

“I can see the change in their body language,” Harendra tells DNA. “I can see their thinking process. They have now started believing that ‘yes, we can also be on the podium. We can beat any team on any given day’.

“That’s the mindset change I wanted. It’s very difficult to get a negative result when you have this mindset. And that’s the biggest positive change I have seen in the girls in the last few months,” he adds.

Win matches, win back fans

The last podium finish the Indian women’s hockey team achieved in a major multi-nation world event was a silver at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Since then, there’s been a steady decline in the fortunes and the fan-following of women’s hockey.

Harendra knew the two aspects were intertwined, and one of his first task as the new commander-in-chief was to make his bunch of troops realise that.

“It was a hard fact,” Harendra says. “Before this, hockey fans used to think that the women’s team was only going to participate (in major tournaments).

“I asked the girls some questions: ‘Why are we making people think like that? Why are we just participants for them? Why can’t we change? Why can’t people start thinking that we can win matches, win tournaments?’

“That hit the girls, I think. They realised that they needed to change. I knew I had to convey this message to them. Once you change the mindset of the Indian fans, you will automatically make a bigger pool of people who are following you. And that is what is happening over the last few months.

“The girls tell me that they’re surprised with the amount of fan-following they get wherever they go, be it at the airport or generally outside. They say everyone is talking about us. So, that also gives a psychological edge and self-belief that yes, if you start winning matches and tournaments, people will start following us. This is a long process, but the girls have taken a good first step,” he adds.

It was a good first step, indeed.

The team won the Asia Cup title last year after a gap of 13 years, a feat that was considered more historic than their male counterparts clinching gold.

The victory was an important starting point for the girls in the self-belief roadmap charted out by Harendra.

Goalpost remains same

The Commonwealth Games is the next stop, albeit one with steeper roadblocks and bigger challenges.

Not that it fazes the coach.

“I never change my goals. I never change the goalpost. My goalpost remains the same, and that is to finish on the podium. But with this team, I am dreaming higher: winning the gold or playing the final. That’s the goal we have set as a team,” Harendra, a Level III certified coach, says.

The team is currently ranked 10th in the world, and have second-ranked England in their pool besides South Africa, Malaysia and Wales – all lower-ranked teams. But there’s also Australia and New Zealand in the other pool, teams that India, in all likely, will have to defeat in order to achieve their goal of a podium finish.

“I always believe, and I have already those these girls, that ranking is just a number. If you see the last Olympics, the teams that played in the final weren’t in the top-4 rankings. I gave them so many examples like that from the Olympics and the World Cup.

“Rankings is just a perception, it is just a number that makes you think that they are better than us. If you think that way, you have lost the match in the dressing room itself. I don’t want my girls thinking like that, and I have made that very clear to them. For me and my team, we are ready to face any opponent, higher ranked or lower ranked. And we are here to win the tournament, not to participate,” Harendra reiterates.

The team has tasted a couple of Commonwealth Games medals — gold in 2002 and silver in 2006 — but has finished fifth in the following two editions. Harendra believes Gold Coast will be the place where India women’s hockey’s glory days will be relived.

“This is going to be the base for bigger and more important tournaments later this year, be it the Asian Games or World Cup. This will be a big step in doing well there. This is the tournament where we can bring back the glory of Indian women’s hockey. Once we do that, the confidence will help us in World Cup and Asian Games,” he says.

For once, though, Harendra isn’t talking about medals.

“Play simple hockey, believe in yourself and enjoy on the pitch,” Harendra says when asked about what his message will be to the girls before the first match.

“Once you start enjoying on the pitch, results will follow you. You don’t need to follow the results.”

Indian women’s hockey team at CWG

1998: Fourth
2002; Gold
2006: Silver
2010: Fifth
2014: Fifth

India’s CWG ties

April 5: vs Wales
April 6: vs Malaysia
April 8: vs England
April 10: vs South Africa

Women’s squad

Goalkeepers: Savita Punia (VC), Rajani Etimarpu; Defenders: Deepika, Sunita Lakra, Deep Grace Ekka, Gurjit Kaur, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam; Midfielders: Monika, Namita Toppo, Nikki Pradhan, Neha Goyal, Lilima Minz.; Forwards: Rani (C), Vandana Katariya, Lalremsiami, Navjot Kaur, Navneet Kaur, Poonam Rani