Miles to go for Indian hockey team

Indian Junior hockey team finished 10th in the World Cup.

For Indian hockey the honeymoon is over. In the recent Hero Hockey Junior World Cup Men 2013 held at Dhyan Chand National stadium, Delhi, the hosts finished a dismal 10th, their lowest position ever. More disappointing than the position was the haphazard style of play displayed by the Indian team.

They often played aimless hockey, without cohesion, and the basics like trapping, positional sense and accurate passing were missing. The goal India conceded against Pakistan in the match for 9th and 10th spot illustrated this fact. Left midfielder Surender Kumar and defender Amit Rohidass were caught out of position. Pakistan’s forward Dilber Mohammed latched onto a long ball on the right and had time and space to cross to an unmarked Rizwan Ali who walked the ball into the goal. Pakistan scored in the 7th minute but despite midfield domination and vociferous crowd support, India equalized only in the 66th minute through Gurjinder Singh off a penalty corner.

After each dismal performance India’s coaches – either South African Gregg Clark or Baljit Singh Saini – would mutter that the team did not handle the pressure properly or failed to execute game plans. Other excuses trotted out were that circle penetration and trapping were weak, under pressure the players did not dribble properly, and the defence often got out of position. Many ex-Olympians who witnessed the Junior World Cup also stated that the players have individual ability but could not handle pressure.

To the informed eye though, all of this would seem like hogwash. Any country which stages a major international event faces the burden of expectations. Methods have to be used to get the players to relax.

Germany lost their first league match against Belgium 1-3 on December 6 but recovered to beat Pakistan 6-0 on the next day. They then had two days’ rest for their crucial qualifier against Egypt. The German think tank (seven member coaching staff) did not let the players brood. They took them for a tour to Old Delhi to see historical monuments like Jama Masjid and Red Fort. They even left the team bus and got on cycle rickshaws to explore the labyrinthine by-lanes of Chandni Chowk.

Runners up France also used similar methods to relax their players. On the rest day before the quarter finals, the French players went sight-seeing and visited Red Fort, the Akshardam temple and the Lotus Temple. They had earlier even visited Agra to see the famous Taj Mahal. Methods have to be devised to get the players relaxed, as pressure is inevitable in all international sports.

Unfortunately India did not inspire confidence or look like a title winning team in any match. The only game in which they played with reasonable confidence and scored at will was in the classification match (9th to 12th position) against Argentina which India won 4-2.

This lacklustre display is despite the fact that India was the only team in which all the 18 players in the Junior World Cup squad have played with the senior team, with five of them regulars. Overall the 18-member Indian team had represented the country on 334 occasions, the most by any team. Runners up France had eight players who had never played senior internationals and were making their debut at a major junior international tournament. In contrast, India’s midfielders Kothajit Singh, skipper Manpreet Singh and dashing forward Ramandeep Singh are now established with the senior team; and yet, they could not make an impact in the Junior World Cup.

Also, another question arises here: why did the Indian players get stage fright? Several of them excelled in the inaugural Hero Hockey India league held in January-February 2013. Mandeep Singh and Amit Rohidass (Ranchi Rhinos), Malak Singh (Punjab Warriors), Satbir Singh (Mumbai Magicians) all excelled in the league when playing with and against the best senior players in the world. However, none of them were consistent or took responsibility for India in the recent Junior World Cup.

Was it stage fright, or had they gone stale? Sturdy defender Rohidass, a product of Sports Hostel Panposh, Orissa was probably the most consistent Indian player, but he did not excel. Penalty corner expert Gurjinder Singh unleashed some good drag flicks but needs to improve his positional play and marking skills.

Unlike in the past, India cannot blame lack of exposure and poor facilities at training camps. Hockey India and its Secretary-general Narendra Batra did everything possible to achieve success. India’s Junior World Cup hockey squad had a nine member strong coaching staff with three foreign experts, all of whom got lucrative salaries. They even had a foreign scientific adviser (hyperbolic name for physical trainer) Matthew Eyles. Training and preparation started fifteen months ago, and the team got ample foreign exposure. Their diet was monitored. Everything was provided for, but they could not deliver.

So was the coaching inadequate or, was there lack of communication skills? India’s coach Gregg Clarke constantly claimed that “We didn’t get our small moments right.” Defects like poor marking and running out at penalty corners (South Korea scored thrice off penalty corners in the 3-3 draw with India) should have been rectified in the long coaching camps. It seems the players are either unable to grasp the training methods, are unable to understand the language of the foreign experts, or maybe they are unable to execute the drills properly as their basics are poor. Another reason being cited for the inadequate performance is parochialism in selection of the national squad, as majority of the players were from one region.

The inadequate performance is probably a combination of all these factors. The ongoing dispute between Hockey India and Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) is also not helping the cause of Indian hockey. There is not much importance being given to the sport at the grassroots level in most states and so the flow of talent is limited to a few states. This is leading to stagnation.

Indian hockey players do not realize how well looked after they are. The South African squad had to raise money for their air-fare to make the trip to Delhi. Even France, the surprise runners up of this tournament, had financial problems. Their coach Gael Foulard said that the French hockey association has limited funds, so they could not have long training camps. The team gelled during some training sessions in Paris and Lille, matches against the junior teams of Belgium and England and travelled to Barcelona for games against Spanish clubs from November 1 to 6.

Indian can take some limited credit for the rise of French hockey. Foulard said they motivated their players by making them watch the film Chak de India. Shahrukh Khan has become a popular actor among the French players. They were all really happy that a popular film had been made with hockey as the main theme. At their hotel rooms, they sometimes even tuned into Hindi commentary whilst watching the telecast of the Junior World Cup as it reminded them of the language of the popular film and Shahrukh Khan.

A year ago, the senior national team finished a dismal 12th - last – in the 2012 London Olympics. When India staged the 12th FIH World Cup in Delhi in 2010, India finished eighth out of 12 teams. With the national team failing to click, even in tournaments staged at home, spectator and sponsorship interest is declining.

It is creditable that Narendra Batra, Secretary-General of Hockey India, has managed to rope in Hero as long term sponsors of Indian hockey; otherwise, the situation would be bleak. Indian hockey has to break out from the quagmire of underachievement or else, much like West Indies in cricket, it will only survive on nostalgia.