With the exit of Graham Reid publish the disappointing end result on the lately concluded World Cup in Odisha, Hockey India’s (HI) main job is to nominate the following chief coach of the lads’s nationwide hockey crew.
With the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Video games – qualifying match for the 2024 Paris Olympics – solely seven months away, hiring a coach on the earliest for the Olympic bronze medallists is a precedence.
The Nationwide Sports activities Federation (NSF) has already marketed with February 15 being the final date of submitting functions for the vacant publish. Amongst a bunch of international coaches, one identify doing the rounds is former India coach Harendra Singh.
“The Professional League and Asian Video games are the 2 main occasions this yr. We’re focussed on the latter as profitable the occasion will get India an computerized berth within the Paris Olympics. Now we have many names for dialogue and Harendra is amongst them,” a key HI functionary stated on situation of anonymity. “Harendra has a confirmed monitor report with the junior crew and has a great probability to coach the Indian crew as soon as once more.”
Harendra guided the Indian males’s junior crew to victory on the 2016 Junior World Cup following which he was made coach of the senior crew too, teaching them until the 2018 World Cup the place India exited within the quarter-finals. He was additionally coach of the 2017 Asia Cup gold medal profitable Indian girls’s crew. Harendra was changed by Reid in 2019.
Nonetheless, the 54-year-old Harendra, who’s presently the top coach of the USA of America males’s crew, refused to remark however not earlier than advocating for an Indian to educate the nationwide males’s crew as he felt that homegrown coaches have higher understanding with gamers.
“Have a look at the groups within the latest World Cup the place most groups had their very own coaches. A homegrown coach for India is a should as he has higher understanding of each particular person as our gamers come from totally different backgrounds, tradition and setting,” he stated.
He prompt that for technical experience HI ought to appoint a excessive efficiency director. “For that job I’d like to see Australian legend Ric Charlesworth as soon as once more. I’ve labored with him and discover him one of the best individual for this publish. The place all of the world’s coaches cease pondering, he begins from there. The person is a grasp in getting one of the best out of gamers,” he stated.
Harendra additionally praised former HI president Narinder Batra for giving a giant fillip to Indian hockey because the 2010 Commonwealth Video games (CWG), including that the Hockey India League (HIL) ought to be restarted because it helped Indian gamers acquire expertise of rubbing shoulders with high Europeans and Australians.
“Undoubtedly, Batra has taken Indian hockey the place it’s speculated to be. India’s latest journey acknowledged with the 2010 CWG. We noticed professionalism, cash, most publicity. HIL was a giant plus as our gamers received to be taught many new issues,” he added.
Harendra prompt launching a brand new home league and likewise the revival of state hockey leagues. “I’m saddened to see the poor state of hockey leagues in states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. If we’ve common home leagues like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, we can have an enormous variety of gamers throughout the nation. See the robust home construction of international groups as they spot expertise via that setup,” he stated.
Terming the conduct of Nationwide Championships in all age teams simply as an ‘annual honest’, Harendra stated HI ought to divide the home construction in 5 zones as North, South, West, East and Central and conduct leagues as it could maintain our gamers busy for 8-9 months a yr. The league would additionally then function a variety system.
“Comply with the sample of Ranji Trophy cricket the place all groups are geared up with high coaches, physios, video analysts, masseurs, yoga academics and many others. The revival of academies can also be a should as the sport has modified totally and our home coaches ought to discover ways to connect science with the sport. In India we use an outdated system and our home coaches neither wish to be taught the significance of science in hockey and its correct makes use of,” stated Harendra.