Ganesh against no-captain theory

Aby Jose, TNN

BANGALORE: Former India hockey captain and coach MP Ganesh is against the ‘no-captain’ theory favoured by the current chief coach Michael Jack Nobbs, opining that the system would not do any good to the team.

Ganesh said the idea of a leadership group should not stand in the way of naming a captain.

“The ‘no-captain’ policy is foolish. It is the duty of the team management to identify a player with high leadership and motivational skills. The management cannot camouflage its failure to do so by naming a group,” said Ganesh.

“I agree it was a mistake to name different captains in a short span in recent times, particularly with some being not captaincy material at all. One player simply didn’t fit in with his body language, attitude and ball distribution. Also, you cannot be entrusted the captaincy job just because you always score the winning goals. A good captain chooses the best player for a set-piece, judges the situation well, is always alert about the pace of the game and mode of attack. A coach should not give instructions from the sidelines because if he can’t teach them in the practice session, it is not going to work in an hour’s time,” reasoned Ganesh.

Ganesh referred to Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni as well. “Dhoni was identified as good captaincy material early on and senior players including Sachin Tendulkar supported him all through.”

Conveying his best wishes to Nobbs, Ganesh said the Aussie should have a rethink on the captaincy issue. “He may take time for it, may be five to six months, but one person has to be identified as the leader of the pack,” he said.