It is everyone’s duty to support the national team. To start with, coaches should support their players, especially when their morale is down and results are not coming in their favour. The players, on their part, should do things that would make the coaches proud. The third factor is public. Their support is sine qua non for the sustained development of sports. Media is eyes and ears of public. In short, all these segments should strike symphony for a national team to strike success in international forums.

However, on the eve of such significant tournament as Asia Cup, things are not going the way it should. Yesterday, national coach Rajinder Singh decided to talk to his players through media. He openly castigated them for what he perceive as their acts of commission and omission. It is not a good development. The best way, if not the only way, to talk to the players whom he trains is, in the team meetings. Any other forum would only send wrong signal.

It is not that important at this juncture to go into the merits and demerits Rajinder’s argument than requesting him to exercise maximum restraint on his part. Rajinder should stand as an example to his players so that he can command respect.

Rajinder has hinted that a section of players are distracted, not contributing to the success of team while elaborating reasons for dissension among the team members.

He also expressed the view that those were the reasons behind India’s poor showing at Amsterdom. Is there any need now to find scapegoats for Amsterdom debacle? That part is already over, why rake it up in the most unapproprite of time? Except finding out the technical shortfalls, there is no need to indulge in any postmortem. Rajinder chose wrong platform and time to expose his survival syndrome.

Most of the topic Rajinder touched upon on Tuesday are not of his territory. They all fall under the duties and responsibilities of the governing body, the Indian Hockey Federation.

The variety of topics Rajinder dwelt gives an impression that he wants to set the course of contemporary Indian hockey itself rather than sticking to his brief – coaching the Indian senior team.

I don’t think Rajinder has gained anything by castigating his own players. I spoke to half a dozen players last week. Unfortunately none has anything good to say about the coach. Most of the players, young and old, give an impression that they are not happy with the coach the way he wants to control them, his over-enthusiasm to interfere in their prospects (read sponsorship and endorsement bonanza). The mistrust between the coach and players is growing which is not a good sign. It’s time sane elements in the IHF should come forward to nib the problem in the bud.

Indian team did not perform well in just one tournament under Rajinder. The coach should be magnanimous in accepting the defeat. Victories and defeats are nature of sports. Instead of losing his focus and diverting his energies to gag the press and players, he should concentrate on reducing the mistakes that our team commits rather regularly. They are many and recurring.

It is gathered not even a single video session was held in the present camp. How then the players would have understood, analysed and made efforts to rectify their mistakes committed in the previous match is matter of conjecture. In the interest of him, the game and the nation, Rajinder should concentrate on the game, and should not fall in the whir pool which he accuses of players have fallen. He should not develop a defeatist attitude.

Another trivia: Media was allowed to interact with the press on Tuesday evening, the last day of the camp. However, Rajinder did not allow pressman and television to talk to the players. One television channel even pleaded that Rajinder can identify the player whom they would interview for short bytes. He refused that also. Rajinder insisted only he should talk to the press. This is unbecoming of a coach to demand self publicity at the cost of his own players. To a bare minimum, both coach and the captain should have spoken to the press. To prevent media from the players even after the training session was over, is incomprehensible.

The IHF will have taken a right step if it appoints a Media manager so that no bad blood develops between media and the team management. More so in the context of every X and Y is issuing statement to press on behalf of the IHF. The press is yet to get a single press note signed by either the IHF president or Secretary.