Love at first sight for Brasa
Mihir VasavdaMonday, May 11

Mumbai: Jose Manuel Brasa has high regard for the ‘Indian style’ of hockey. On Sunday, the Spaniard was enthralled watching India play attacking hockey against Pakistan, even though Sandeep Singh’s team went down 2-3.

This was the first time Brasa saw the Indian team play a formidable opposition from close quarters. He believed that the team should have won the match. “It’s a pity we couldn’t win this match. We missed plenty of chances in the last 10 minutes but it happens in sport. SV Sunil was very impressive. He created some really nice moves,” Brasa told DNA from Kuanton.

Brasa said he already feels like one of the team members and it shouldn’t take him long to feel completely at home. “I was cheering the team from the sidelines and was feeling 50 per cent Indian when the game started,” he admitted.

Brasa has been interacting with the players over the past five days. “They all are dedicated, focussed and have one objective -to see India among the top nations in field hockey. This is very good to see,” Brasa said.

He is confident that the Indian team can climb up the ladder. “We have the best lot of players in the world. We have to groom them into a bunch that plays consistently. They are proud of playing for the country and are passionate. That’s something I share in common with the players.”

Brasa remarked that the players got too excited during the first few minutes of their game against Pakistan. “Being too passionate has its drawbacks. Pakistan got the better of the exchanges when the match started today, but the boys soon realised it and then played in a relaxed manner,” he said.