New Indian Express: Indian hockey senior duo Akashdeep Singh, SV Sunil emphasises need to find next gear

Ashim Sunam

BENGALURU: The last few years have been pretty good for Indian hockey. Having bagged medals at some of the biggest stages —Champions Trophy, Asian Games and twice in the World League Final — they have become one of the most improved sides. Those recent wins have given way to hope. But hope only takes you so far. It’s now time to win the biggest prizes, according to Akashdeep Singh and SV Sunil, two of the most experienced players in the team.

Sunil stated that coach Sjoerd Marijne was trying to inculcate a method which will help Indian hockey in the long run. “Marijne has said we have all the required skills, but there is a need to modify. He does not want one player to keep the ball for too long. It is not that we are not allowed to dribble, we can if there is space, but he stresses on the need to play one-touch hockey and move the ball forward in search of a goal,” Sunil told Express.

“Last year, when Marijne came in as coach, he stated India should look to become number one,” Sunil added. “Until we think big, we will not be able to achieve much. We can only become World No 1 if we win big tournaments.” This year will be a litmus test for India’s aspirations as they are set to compete in events like the Champions Trophy and the World Cup. India have played under a number of managers over the last few years including Oltmans, Paul van Ass, Terry Walsh and Michael Nobbs. The team’s ranking, from around 12 in 2012 to current ranking (six), reflects India’s clawing back to where they belong. But they are still not in the same league as Australia, Germany and Netherlands.

India might have defeated higher-ranked teams like Germany and Netherlands, but consistency is lacking. Mega competitions this year will help India know where they stand in world hockey.

“We have been improving over the last few years. The rankings will be taken care of if we do good in upcoming competitions. So there is a serious need to play well. If not, the rankings can take a dip as well,” said Akashdeep.

There are a lot of issues to be addressed if India is to come good. The team has always been blessed with some amazing attacking players. The current side is no different with Sunil, Akashdeep, Ramandeep Singh forming a strong trio. They bring the ball forward at lightning pace and break open teams. However, their conversion rate has been poor.

Akashdeep feels that they need to be patient inside the circle to produce favourable results. “We need to be patient when we have the ball as we tend to hurry things up, leading to our downfall,” said Akashdeep.

If India are to execute their plans of becoming a top-ranked side in the near future, even small things need to be taken care of. Moving up from sixth position to number one cannot happen overnight. Patience holds
the key.