Former India skipper Dhanraj Pillay will be following the Asian Games hockey competition closely.
Chief coach Harendra Singh’s approach will be of special interest due to the similarity with M.K. Kaushik (1998 Bangkok Asiad chief coach) when it comes to team building.
“Harendra is the kind of coach whom players can approach with suggestions. He listens to seniors, is approachable to the youngsters and then takes his own decision. Having a coach ready to listen helps in improving understanding,” said Dhanraj.
India is the defending champion in men’s hockey. The previous champion men’s team was led by Dhanraj at Bangkok 1998 and coached by Kaushik who believed in carrying everyone along.
“Harendra had travelled to Bangkok on his own expense, to watch hockey and keep in touch with latest developments. He may have observed Kaushik managing the team on and off the field, assisted by M.R. Negi, an expert in lifting the mood of of players.”
India had beaten South Korea on penalty strokes to win the Bangkok final, two strokes saved by goalkeeper Ashish Ballal. The highest goal-scorer of the competition (11 goals) points out that successful sides have coaches who can bring out the best in a diverse group of players.
“Kaushik gave seniors the space and respect, held team meetings to prevent infighting. As captain I took certain decisions on the pitch like retaining Ballal for the penalty strokes in the final, he backed me. Credit for keeping the players together goes to his mature handling,” said the forward.
Methods explained
Dhanraj explained the chief coach’s methods. “He put seniors in charge of specific positions, for example the forwardline had to be handled by Mukesh Kumar and me, midfield by Ramandeep Singh and Baljit Saini, defence by Dilip Tirkey, etc.”
“The federation (Indian Hockey Federation) had invited Merwyn Fernandes (multiple Olympian and famous inside forward) for a week to give motivational talks and guide forwards. When the tournament started, Kaushik did not put pressure on us. He understood that an experienced group was giving a robust display match after match till the final.” India beat Korea on penalty strokes, with two saves from Ballal.
Coming back to the current squad under goalkeeper P. Sreejesh’s captaincy, the ex-India skipper emphasised that playmaker Sardara Singh’s return under Harendra, after being dropped by the previous coach for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, is a realisation that experience is valued.
“Harendra prefers one-on-one chats with his players, will spend time with the youngest member in case inexperience is affecting performance. Both he and Kaushik believe in building a good atmosphere in the squad. Experienced sides need a players’ manager, not a headmaster.”
