You will hardly have time to deal with so much going on. How do you see the challenges ahead?
It will certainly be an interesting challenge. Hockey is the sport that has taught us the art of winning an Olympic medal. We were known for hockey. Winning so many gold medals in Olympics shows our pedigree. And after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, there has been a resurgence. People have started following hockey, consuming hockey and enjoying hockey. The women also did very well. I will make sure that we keep up the pace and also work on the shortcomings that we have identified.
You mention gaps. Tell us more.
Drag flicks. They are massively important. We have some great drag flickers but we need to make sure we get better and plan ahead. Harmanpreet (Singh) and Rupinder Pal have done well for us and Gurjit (Kaur) has matured with time. But we need to be even better because good drag flickers can win you the game. Both Sandeep (Singh) and Jugraj (Singh) were excellent but then you know what happened to them and we struggled for a while. Now, we have become better again and we must make sure that this is sustained.
The second aspect that we should pay attention to is goalkeeping. In modern hockey the influence of the goalkeeper is widespread. See what (PR) Sreejesh has done for the men’s team. And see what Savita has achieved for the women’s team. It is important that we focus on goalkeeping to make sure we are ready to move forward.
How are you looking at the upcoming World Cup?
This is a big tournament for us. A domestic World Cup is always special and very rarely do you have domestic World Cups. If you look at the facilities in Odisha, they are fantastic. We look forward to welcoming the world to Odisha in January and with Covid-19 under control, we expect packed homes for most of the games. The draw and schedule is out, so people can plan accordingly. When you have the support of the crowd it automatically gives you a boost and it should be no different for the Indian team. We also have the Pro League in Bhubaneswar and that too should be a very good tournament.
What is your long-term outlook for hockey?
I want to revive Hockey India League (HIL). If you go back and check the timing, you will see that HIL has done well for Indian hockey. Our young players got an opportunity to walk shoulder to shoulder with the best players in the world and as a result, they improved in both skill and mental strength. If you are constantly in touch with the best, you will naturally get better. After that these same players came into the Indian side and made a real difference in the national team. If all goes well, I am very keen to revive HIL as I believe it could leave a significant impact on the future. Having said that, I know the international calendar has changed and it is almost packed. We will try to prepare the window for the league.
In India, we go from one Olympics to another. That’s why the whole country falls behind hockey. Any thoughts on Paris 2024.
You are right. We are an Olympic obsessed country. This is definitely one of the most important competitions for us. Like I said, hockey taught us the art of winning an Olympic medal. No one can match what India has done in the past. And it’s important that we continue to do well in the Olympics and keep up the pace. The women’s team finished fourth in Tokyo. He certainly has the potential to make the podium. The men are ranked in the top-half of the 10 best teams in the world and won silver at the 2022 CWG. We can definitely win a medal in Paris and that will be my main focus.
Hockey India has had serious issues in the past. How are you trying to address them?
I am aware of the challenges and will do my best to ensure that the game is well supervised and conducted on and off the field. A lot of good things are happening and there are some things that need to be looked into. I will do my best to address them.
No comments:
Post a Comment