The World Series of Hockey (WSH) unfolds a new vista. Conceived as the means to profit players commensurate with their stature, the whole concept suffers from want of enthusiastic response and support from the powers-that-be. On the contrary, a conscious effort is being made to devalue the competition, set to roll at Chandigarh on Wednesday.
Not inconsequential
True, the star content is somewhat diminished by the absence of key national players staying away. An element of compulsion and fear is behind this. Any debate over the rights or wrongs of this will result in unending verbiage. But dismissing the WSH as inconsequential is unfair.
To say that the WSH is a competition of discards and veterans is a cynical perception. There are a plethora of stalwarts, crowd-pullers and famous names. Every one of them has embellished the sport at a given point of time.
What comes as a bonanza for the WSH is the euphoria generated now in the wake of India making the Olympic grade. This should help draw a good deal of spectator support and TV viewers. Officials behind the venture will certainly go all out to cash in on this factor.
Those on the board of the WSH have a proven track record. The reputations of many continue to impact the imagination of the public. For instance, spectators still hold their breath on seeing Dhanraj Pillay (Karnataka Lions) dribbling his way through, albeit for a fleeting moment.
The presence of Gagan Ajit Singh, Deepak Thakur (Sher-E-Punjab) along with Arjun Halappa (Karnataka Lions) and Rajpal Singh, till recently part of the national team, is sure to enhance the value of the league.
The assortment of international stars from Canada, Malaysia, Spain, the Netherlands and Australia distributed to the various teams further improves the flavour, elevating WSH as a true world-level event. The focus is bound to be on the redoubtable Aussie star, Brent Livermore (captain — Chennai Cheetahs), once the livewire of the national team, including in the Olympic Games.
More than the players, it is the readiness of stalwart coaches to offer their services that underlines the attraction WSH holds for them. Each one is a celebrity in his own right. Heading the bunch is Dutchman Roelant Oltmans (Delhi Wizards). The combined experience of the coaches is phenomenal.
All of them at one point of time have handled their national team and teams in other countries with varying degree of success. Oltmans has an enviable reputation of coaching Dutch teams in the Olympics and the World Cup, apart from the European championships. The other prominent and familiar name to Indians is Jose Brasa (Chennai Cheetahs) our national coach till last year.
Among the rest, Moscow gold medallist V. Baskaran (Bhopal Badshahs) and former national coach Harendra Singh (Chandigarh Comets), Jude Felix (Karnataka Lions), Gundeep Kumar (Pune Strykers) and Rajinder Singh (Sher-E-Punjab) are well established names in Indian hockey.
The talent spread is even making it difficult for any predictions in the inaugural year. If some consider that Chennai Cheetahs has the edge they cannot be faulted.
Wednesday's match: Chandigarh Comets v Bhopal Badshahs, Chandigarh, 8-30 p.m.
