The Hindu : Sport : Look ahead and pick the strongest team

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 28, 2006

Sport

Sport

Look ahead and pick the strongest team

S. Thyagarajan

Chennai: To interpret the outcome of the recent India-Pakistan hockey series as a vindication of the collective judgment of the selection committee is over optimistic. True, the team resisted defeat in a land where a reverse for the host against India is indigestible, whatever be the status of the competition. The 1-2 result is some consolation. It deserves a note of appreciation. Nothing more than that.

The series confirmed the oft-repeated observation to desist from altering the composition too many times. The 0-3 verdict at the end of the Indian leg was a disaster. This left the Pakistanis enough room to manoeuvre and experiment. For them, what lies ahead was more demanding than proving their superiority again. Pakistan needs to get a berth for the World Cup from a qualifying tournament in China in April.

No harmony

Whether India will retain the same team or review the selection for the Commonwealth Games is unclear. The challenge at Melbourne is apparently tough. A review of the six Tests indicates a filament of perennial inconsistency, especially in the frontline. The harmony which is the sine qua non to overcome stronger defences like Australia, New Zealand, or even Malaysia, was not visible.

What worked with impressive cohesion was the mid-field, where Vikram Pillay and Ignace Tirkey caught the eye. Both Kanwalpreet Singh and Sandeep Singh were a trifle effective in penalty corners. This only underlines the need for shuffling the frontline by introducing at least a seasoned attacker like Deepak Thakur.

There will be voices against Tejbir Singh over the question of doping. How far will the SAI risk fielding him in an international competition, where doping controls are sure to be at the strictest level possible, remains to be seen.

Dilip Tirkey, named as captain, skipped the tour after his marriage. Earlier, he missed the Champions Trophy too owing to illness. His return to the squad as a player, leave alone as captain, needs to be debated in the light of his persistent knee injury. But he is far too experienced and efficient to be sidelined for an event like the Commonwealth Games where India must strive for a medal to recover a modicum of its dented image after the Champions Trophy.

Gill's assurance

The assurance of K.P.S. Gill that no seasoned player is discarded should be taken as pragmatic, bristling with possibility of giving a re-look to stars like Viren Resquinha, Bimal Lakra, and, of course, the duo, Gagan and Deepak. The omission of Deepak, particularly after his brilliant displays in the PHL league at Chandigarh triggered a lot of comment when the team for the series was announced.

Chief coach, Rajinder Singh (jr) continues to harp on inexperience, lack of exposure and what not. His elation over the result in the Pakistan leg is understandable. Yet, the fact that he is not good enough to put in place a vibrant plan for success, stares in the face.

The 16 for the Commonwealth Games should be the strongest possible in every layer. And the selection committee is duty bound to pay attention to this aspect, more than gloating over the limited success achieved across the border after Pakistan had comfortably wrapped up the series in India.

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