Monday, Apr 22, 2002
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Hockey
By S. Thyagarajan
With so much flak coming on the IHF top brass for the manner in which the exit of Cedric D'Souza was handled, the IHF perforce has to take a line of least resistance in naming his successor. Consciously avoiding the route to take back some of those whom the IHF thought as not good enough previously, and equally cautious of not taking the initiative to search for a new name from among the myriad of Olympians and other trained men, including a foreign coach, the IHF has obviously settled on a choice that cannot easily be disputed. After all, it is a fact that Rajinder has achieved what no other coach accomplished - winning the junior World Cup at Hobart for the first time since inception of the event in 1979 at Versailles. It is inevitable that Rajinder will draw comparison with his predecessor, Cedric, whose training methods became the talking point for their positive and negative nuances. What Rajinder clearly lacks is the charisma of Cedric, whose academic approach to the sport, is hailed by and one all. It is this aspect of modern configuration of systems and styles that makes Cedric a darling of the European coaches. But to the conservatives, who still harp on the virtues in the Asian style of dribble, short passing and dodges, Cedric was viewed as one striving to redefine that very ethos and driving the players into a valley of the unknown. How much will Rajinder absorb the positive factors from the training imparted by Cedric and his team of coaches is a matter of conjecture. With C.R. Kumar, the assistant coach, also not making himself available, there is bound to be a void in continuity. Therefore, the means to be adopted by Rajinder to train a senior combination will be watched with absorbing interest. At best, Rajinder can only be an instinctive coach, basing his knowledge on the experience gained as a player at the highest level, being the top scorer in penalty corners at the World Cup in Mumbai in 1982. That event was played on natural grass. Supporters of Rajinder 's nomination to the highest rank in coaching , figure out that his uncomplicated approach of allowing the players to choose their wares to overcome the opposition will pay better results than from the very complex sophisticated patterns framed by his predecessor. Clearly, in terms of success rate, Rajinder has a greater share, which includes, aside from the World Cup at Hobart, a few junior age level tournaments in the continent. Quite predictably, Rajinder takes the reins at a point when everything about Indian hockey is on the boil. The country's psyche as sporting power in hockey is devastated and destroyed by the fiasco at Kuala Lumpur, where expectations were belied and the end became a nightmare. With the halo as the leader of the triumph at Hobart, Rajinder's acceptability in the eyes of the public as a coach, who had splendid credentials as a player in his heyday, can be said to be higher than it would have been if a former coach or a new one were to be named for the assignment. There is no denying that Rajinder carries the wishes of one and all to restore even a modicum of the nation's image, that lies in tatters at this point of time. The fact that almost the entire squad that won at Hobart is now placed at his disposal along with a handful of seniors will make his job a lot easier since his rapport with the majority is said to be excellent. But Rajinder must know, more than anyone, that shaping a combination that could take on teams like Australia and South Korea in the immediate future is a Herculean task. It is difficult to surmise whether Rajinder was fully involved in naming the 30 for the coaching camp. That the majority of the Hobart heroes would be accommodated was a foregone conclusion. And so was about the three, Vikram Pillay, Bimal Lakra and Gagan Ajit Singh, sent back after the team was picked for the World Cup at Ipoh. The recall of Dinesh Nayak and Sameer Dad looks logical, but not enough thought seems to have been given to selecting the mid-field. While the emphasis on juniors is no doubt welcome, discarding seniors like Thirumal and Sukhbir Singh Gill, makes this vital layer in modern hockey most vulnerable. Without them, any line-up here will be totally inexperienced and inadequate to take a fast moving team like Australia and Pakistan. Even if the 30 is meant only for the twin four-nation events at Adelaide and Melbourne next month, a strong and experienced mid-field laced with junior talent is very important. After all, India, if it were to live up to the proclaimed status as having enough talent at every layer, a decent show in Australia is essential to erase the nightmare of Kuala Lumpur. Surprising too is the exclusion of Baljit Singh Dhillon, when his elder brother, Daljit Singh, is retained. After Dhanraj Pillay--he is still good enough for competition--only Baljit Singh has the touch and class to convert a defeat into victory. That he failed at a crucial moment in Kuala Lumpur is an aberration that can be condoned. A chance for Thirumal, S.S. Gill, Baljit Dhillon, and, if possible Dhanraj Pillay, will definitely make the Australian trip a worthwhile experiment. The IHF should ponder over this. More importantly, the administration should explore the feasibility of nominating a full time, technical manager, preferably an experienced former international, who could be of some guidance to the coaches. The name that comes to mind is M.M. Somayya, the three time Olympian and captain, whose analytical mind and sober thinking can be of tremendous advantage to any national team. It is imperative for the IHF to chalk out clear policies and programmes, especially when India has two important events ahead - the Champions Trophy at Cologne and the Asian Games, where the team has to defend the title for a place in the Olympics at Athens, assuming that the FIH sticks to that qualifying norm.
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