Worked a lot on the mental side of things: Harendra

The men’s hockey Junior World Cup is just over two months away, but coach Harendra Singh is relaxed, confident in the knowledge that preparation has been good.

“I assure you this team is capable of going all the way,” he said at the SAI here on Friday. “These boys have that capacity, although the result is not in our hands. We have spent the last two-and-a-half years preparing for big matches.

“We have gone through vigorous mental training. At any tournament, decision-making skills and mental toughness play a key role.

“We saw at the Rio Olympics how Sakshi Malik was down five points and fought back. She was focused.

“I have prepared three teams for World Cups but this bunch is mentally stronger than the others.”

This week, the junior team will compete in the Australian Hockey League in Perth. Apart from Australian state teams, the tournament also features New Zealand and two sides from Malaysia.

“It’s great to play such a high-intensity event ahead of the World Cup,” Harendra said.

“We will see where our boys stand. In the Kiwi and Malaysian teams, we will get to face two different styles. After this, we will go to Valencia for the Four Nations tournament. That will give us an opportunity to face European teams.”

On the verge of moving up

Harendra will be joined in Perth by Roelant Oltmans, chief coach of the senior team. The Dutchman felt a number of juniors were on the verge of graduating to the senior set-up.

“Since both teams train here, I’ve seen their practice sessions and matches a number of times,” he said.

“There are four boys who’ve already played for the senior team: Harmanpreet Singh, Harjeet Singh, Mandeep Singh and Vikas Dahiya. “A number of others showed in the HIL that they can play to a high standard: Gurinder Singh, Varun Kumar, Gurjant Singh and Manpreet Singh. It’s a very talented group.”

Harendra admitted, though, that his players had to communicate better on the pitch. “Communicating well is a big strength,” he said.

“If you can communicate and organise the defence, you can reduce the damage.

“The communication channel starts with the goalkeeper. This is what we’re working on with our psychologist and mental trainer in the last phase of our preparations.”