HIL a huge opportunity for players: Michael Nobbs

By Arnab Lall Seal

RANCHI: Following Lance Armstrong’s confession, India hockey coach Michael Nobbs believes such doping will not help the players in hockey. The Australian also spoke about the ongoing Hockey India League and its benefits during a lengthy conversation with the TOI.

Excerpts:

Do you think a Lance Armstrong like doping scandal can occur in hockey?

Hockey is such a sport where doping will not help the players perform better. The use of drugs will actually degenerate the player’s performance. The drugs might help the players to run faster but it won’t help them control the ball or dribble better. This game is a lot about hand-eye co-ordination and control and performance-enhancing drugs doesn’t help any of these become better.

What do you have to say about Pakistan players not being able to part in the Hockey India League?

It’s very sad that they had to return home without playing a single match. The India-Pakistan cricket series took place but its hard luck that something like that had to happen just when the HIL was about to start.

Do you think the India-Pakistan hockey series scheduled to take place this year will go ahead as planned?

All the players were looking forward to the trip to Pakistan but now it’s hard to say whether the series will take place or not. It’s up to the government whether they will allow us to travel to Pakistan and play the series. A lot now depends upon the diplomatic situation between the two countries.

After the debacle in Olympics, how do you think the team will fare in Rio?

Performance at the London Olympics was the worst ever and we will never repeat it again. The team has played really well in the Champions Trophy this time and even the junior team has performed great in the Sultan of Johor Cup last year. We have already started developing the team for the Olympics and we believe we can do really well in 2016.

Are you looking forward to working with Roelant Oltmans?

We have worked together before also and it’s a great decision by the officials to bring him in as the high performance director. I have known him for a long time and he will not disappoint. He wouldn’t have taken the job if he wouldn’t have believed in the team.

What do you have to say about Sardar Singh?

He is one of the best players in the world at the moment and I will do anything to watch him play on a given day. The way he controls the ball is beautiful and he will be a player to look out for in the HIL. He is as good as the other great players from around the world and if he can keep up his good show, he will surely take India deep in the Rio Olympics.

Sandeep Singh was a huge disappointment during the Olympics…

He hasn’t played two tournaments and if he wants to make a comeback to the team, he will have to show us some performance. HIL is a good platform where he will be able to showcase his talents. But there will be competition from the youngsters also who can impress the selectors.

How do you think HIL will help Indian hockey?

It’s a huge opportunity for the Indian players to play alongside world class players like Jamie Dwyer, Moritz Furste and train under coaches like Charlseworth and Oltmans. Not only for India, HIL is great for world hockey as well. In India, where cricket is the most popular game, HIL will help spreading the game among the youth. With the tournament taking place every year, there will be a lot of players coming up and it will help India evolve as a powerhouse in the world of hockey again.