Boot on the other foot: Retired Indian hockey players turning to coaching. Almost two dozen men and women players, who have all retired over the last decade, are going through Hockey India and International Hockey Federation’s certification process to become accredited coaches and give a fillip to the eroding grassroots structure.

When Tushar Khandker began his international career in the early 2000s, dribbling the ball along the carpet was still considered one of hockey’s ultimate skills. By the time his days with the national team got over, after a 12-year career, that artistry was making way for sorcery. The dribble was quickly becoming passé and hockey, instead, was going ‘3D’. More and more players were learning to lift the ball off the turf and dribble it in the air while continuing to sprint simultaneously (the art of changing the direction of the ball mid-air creates an illusion of sorts, hence the name ‘3D’).

Today, even that has become a basic skill. “Hockey is changing every four-five years nowadays,” Khandker says. “And we have to keep adapting to all these changes.” Adapting to changes hasn’t really been India’s strength. Indian hockey has been notoriously slow in responding to almost every change that has been introduced in the game over the last five decades and watching domestic hockey is sometimes akin to indulging in time travel.

For more click the link: INDIAN EXPRESS