Realisation of a long cherised dream

By S. Thyagarajan

CHENNAI, OCT. 22. What India failed to achieve in Sydney 2000, the juniors accomplished in Hobart, after a remarkable sequence of victories culminating in a tennis score against the formidable Argentina. The sense of relief and rejoicing over the World Cup hockey triumph on Sunday is bound to trigger more emotional reactions at a time when the country is devoid of anything to celebrate. But the euphoria needs to be tempered by caution that a victory in any grade is only evanescent.

By no stretch of imagination can the first ever win in the World Junior Cup be termed as fluke. It is the realisation of a dream, the result of a determined drive towards a goal, and, above all, the efficacy of the long term planning, which the IHF President, Mr. K.P.S. Gill ceaselessly advocating over the years.

True, there was criticism that India was playing in too many tournaments across the globe, and the players, seniors and juniors, were over-exposed and fatigued. There were suggestions of over-training, and this was cited as a reason for the struggle the seniors had to go through before qualifying for the World Cup to come off at Kuala Lumpur next year.

If India was looking for a turning point in its eventful history, it came on Sunday. Nothing more remarkable has ever happened for the sport since the Olympic gold in Moscow, or after the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur in 1975. Almost a generation has gone by in between the Seventies and the Hobart triumph. Now, the problem lies in consolidating the gains and building up the confidence generated.

Right combination, at last!

Assuring however is the fact that India has at last pitched upon the right combination, which has a long and rewarding future.The programme should be so designed to preserving this talent with minimal additional inputs from seniors. There will be temptation to put the boys again in a hard working mission. And this will only make them more stale. After all, these wonderful specimen of Indian youth have been slugging it out for nearly three years without much break in between. Not only were they called upon to play in the age-limit tournaments, but also alongside of the seniors. That as many as 10 figured in the Edinburgh qualifier only underscores the claim of projecting the Hobart team was as good as National squad for the senior World Cup.

The sequence of victories and the teams conquered in the quest of the title fall in the realm of a fantasy. The vanquished includes the two top European countries, the Netherlands and Germany, not to speak of Spain, which now has the benefit of coaching by no less than the master Dutchman, Maurits Hendriks, who guided the national team for the Olympic triumph at Sydney. A draw with the Argentina in the second phase, finishing next to it in the pool and beating the same opponent by a whopping 6-1 margin is something to be wondered at. India's victims in the competition include, Canada and Scotland. The only defeat came against the Aussies, the defending champion, who seemed to have performed disappointingly in the event from day one.

It would be invidious to pick out a hero from a squad that had just cornered the World Cup. But to deny the approbation to a star like Deepak Thakur will not be justified. A product of the Sports Hostel in Patiala, Deepak Thakur hit the eye for the onlookers from the manner in which he scored the opening goal against South Korea in the pre-Olympic tournament at Sydney in 1999. Since then he has been a terror to the goal-keepers. Like several other talented players, Deepak became a source of experiment for the whimsical coaches, who shifted his position in the team as easily as changing their shirts.

In fact, at one point, some coaches hinted at having Deepak dropped as not being good enough in recovery. Happily, such a line of thinking did not carry conviction with the powers- that- be, even though Deepak was forced to miss a couple of tournaments.

At Hobart, Deepak has silenced everyone, and ensured a permanent place. Four goals against Scotland, and a hat-trick against Argentina in the final are efforts that will part of junior World Cup history.

Competitive hockey is an amalgam of individualism and integrated effort. But the key to success lies in conversion of penalty corners. That the country has found a flicker in the mould of Pakistan's Sohail Abbas or Argentina's Jorge Lombi is heart- warming.

Jugraj is not yet the master of the drag-flick but his success rate, especially at Hobart, confirms the impression that he will shortly be India's trump card. Reports also indicate the consistency of effort by Prabhjot Singh and Arjun Halappa in the frontline, Bimal Lakra in the mid-field and Kanwalpreet Singh in the defence.

The boys deserve rewards

What the boys deserve unhesitatingly is adequate rewards for their endeavour. It is high time the Corporate India woke up and recognise the honour the team has done for the country especially at a time when the national cricket squad, which corners the lion's share of the corporate sponsorship and attention, sometimes undeservingly too, is struggling to handle minnows like Kenya and making the vast followers squirm in shame. Needless to say, is the response from the Government, which should go out of its way to honour the players.

Due praise should go the coach Rajinder Singh for providing the motivation, mode and methods to the team. That he could inspire the boys to go all out in a must-win situation against the Netherlands before moving into the last four deserves full- throated commendation.

Actually, when Rajinder Singh was preferred against the C. R. Kumar, who was with the team during the qualifier at Kuala Lumpur, there were misgivings whether the move was right. But Rajinder Singh, after taking the under 14 team the Asian Cup triumph at Kuala Lumpur, obviously impressed the federation with his ideas and ability to handle the under 21 squad at the Aslan Shah tournament in January. If the Government is looking for a candidate for a Dronacharya Award this year, no deserves it more in hockey than Rajinder Singh.

At the end of the day, the need for restraint on confidence generated degenerating into the grey area of complacency must be reiterated in full force. The next goal is not far off, and it is the Champions Challenge in New Delhi in December for earning a spot in the Champions Trophy next year. A few additions from the seniors now under training will be sufficient.

But before that, the IHF should ensure the boys enjoy enough rest and recovery period. More importantly, the IHF should convene a meeting of the senior and junior coaches where Rajinder Singh be requested to share his ideas and what the strategies and systems deployed at Hobart. Such an interaction will ensure a touch of uniformity in framing a policy worked out on the mode that proved successful. Granting that the majority were trained by the chief coach, Cedric D'Souza, the initiative for such a conclave should come from him so that everyone connected with coaching is benefited. Of course, the role of the IHF in this exercise needs no exaggeration.

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PM congratulates team

New DELHI, OCT. 22. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on Monday, congratulated the Indian junior hockey team for clinching the World Cup at Hobart and urged the youth to continue to do the country proud by attaining such laurels.

In a congratulatory message, Mr. Vajpayee said, ``The win is a particularly cherished one as the junior hockey team has brought back memories of the golden days of the Indian hockey of yesteryears.

``The win is a fitting tribute to the zest, spirit and stamina of the Indian youth,'' he said in a statement here.

Vice-president Krishan Kant also extended his greetings to the team saying ``your brilliant achievement has made the country proud... Your achievement augurs well for the future of Indian hockey''.

- PTI

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Outstanding show, says FIH Secretary-General

CHENNAI, OCT. 22. Hailing India's first trophy triumph in the Junior World Cup at Hobart on Sunday, Mr. Peter Cohen, Secretary- General, International Hockey Federation (FIH) said the success was ``an outstanding performance.''

In a special message sent to The Hindu, Mr. Peter Cohen says, ``The success of the Indian team in the final of the FIH men's junior World Cup was an outstanding performance by clearly the best team in the tournament. The Indian team played consistently well throughout the tournament and fully deserved its victory.''

``From the moment the first whistle sounded in the final match, the Indians attacked with a clear conviction that they were there to win gold. Their skill, speed and flair was reminiscent of the Indian teams of old. Although one had some sympathy for the Argentineans, they were clearly beaten by the better team.''

``If this team's performance is any indication, then Indian hockey is well and truly on the rebound and the hockey world can look forward with great excitement and expectation to many more successes for India.''

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