The Hindu : Sport / Hockey : A disastrous year for team India

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 31, 2004

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Sport - Hockey

A disastrous year for team India

By S. Thyagarajan

CHENNAI, DEC. 30. Undoubtedly it was a forgettable year for the Indian hockey team. Nothing seemed to have gone right for the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) also after its decision to field an inexperienced combination for the Azlan Shah tournament at the start of 2004.

The euphoria generated following the Asia Cup triumph in Kuala Lumpur and the SAF Games victory at Hyderabad had vanished in thin air when India finished last in the event. The explanation that players should not be exposed before the pre-Olympic qualifier two months later was, to say the least, unconvincing. So was the change of the coach for the event with Rajinder Singh becoming the team's observer.

A series of reverses awaited team India after the first debacle. Coach Rajinder Singh prepared for the pre-Olympic qualifier with a weak team. Worst was the move to get Baljit Singh Dhillon as a replacement to Tejbir Singh, who was allegedly involved in a doping case.

However, India was lucky as it made the Athens Games as the fourth combination at Madrid. It was sheer luck for a team that escaped defeat at the hands of Canada after taking a phenomenal lead, leave alone the two losses against Pakistan.

Looking back

An introspection would reveal that haphazard planning contributed largely to the pathetic performances. At every stage the chief coach and the administration avoided examining the issues in the right perspective. On the contrary, the prescriptions by those at the helm only helped aggravate the situation. From Kuala Lumpur to Madrid, from Gifu to Canberra, Sydney, Amstelveen to Dusseldorf, before the Olympiad, the morale of the team was at its low.

It was difficult to understand the rationale of taking part in so many tournaments without giving recovery time for some of the senior players. India played as many as 67 internationals in 2004, at an average of around six matches a month. The team suffered 36 defeats, managed 10 draws and scored only 21victories. Save for a trophy triumph in the Junior Asia Cup at Karachi, there is precious little to cheer about.

Foreign coach

Opting for a foreign coach was very much on the cards, and even welcomed on pragmatic grounds. But the timing and the manner in which the administration took the decision had surprised many. Later, the results showed the decision to appoint Gerhard Rach in place of Rajinder Singh was not a right one.

Even if one were to leave aside the credentials of the German in the world of coaching — some international observers were surprised by the choice — he got very little time to train the team for the Olympics.

In normal circumstances Gerhard Rach would have left the scene immediately after the Olympics, if India had not been catapulted into the

Champions Trophy, or for the compulsion of going ahead with the series

against Pakistan. Gerhard's anathema for stars shocked many. Coaches all over the world love to have star players, even if they possess a larger than life image, than have a collection of meek, diffident players.

Team selection

Incomprehensible too was the yardstick for selection of the teams. That the IHF was forced to form a selection committee prior to the Olympics was itself an admission of the problem regarding selection.

The frailties of the team were transparent to everyone, and debated in detail in every forum. But remedies were not forthcoming, and no coach managed to close the loopholes. The team continued to concede goals in the closing minutes, and the mid-field went haywire often in the second half. Dreadfully, the frontline always lacked the sharpness to hit the target.

The situation called for imagination and ingenuity. But the selectors continued to fiddle with the combinations.

Can there be anything more astonishing to see a player, who had scored 27 goals in 51 matches, sidelined as not good enough after the Olympics? Gagan Ajit Singh, the top-scorer at Athens, was left out for no palpable reasons for the series against Pakistan, the Champions Trophy and even for the home Tests against France.

Future plans

It is time the IHF charted its priorities for 2005 in order to restore the confidence of the team. The first things on the list must be determining the number of tournaments to be played and the formation of a strong squad to

defend the Junior World Cup in Holland in June.

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