Indian hockey coach Harendra Singh is welcoming the IOA’s decision to hire a foreign coach for the men’s team.
By Ashish Bhardwaj
Harendra, who last week, was nominated the interim coach after first-choice MK Kaushik was unavailable, told Mobile ESPN: "I am ok with anything that will give good results for Indian hockey," adding, "if we can appoint a specialist for penalty corners and goalkeeping, it will immensely help the team."
The IOA-appointed ad-hoc committee is likely to appoint a foreign coach by the year-end. Harendra, will then become his deputy. "I have no issues working as a deputy. I have worked with Bhaskaran during the Doha Asian Games and I am aware of the grey areas in the team," the Air-India coach said.
It has been a dramatic fortnight for Indian hockey. Soon after Kaushik was named the coach of the men's team till the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou (China), the women's federation protested. Kaushik is committed to the women's team till the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and had to join the ladies camp now under way in Bangalore. Harendra, who was initially named Kaushik's deputy, was elevated to the chief coach's position, only to be told two days later that a foreigner would soon take over.
Harendra feels Kaushik was a good choice for the men's team. Kaushik was coach when India won the 1998 Asian Games gold in Bangkok. Harendra says he will miss Kaushik. "He was my coach and we had great understanding. But we can't control certain things. So we have to look ahead," Harendra said.
Harendra is happy with the composition of the probables. He welcomed the decision to bring back former captain Dilip Tirkey. "He deserves it. Dilip has done a lot for India," Harendra said.
Harendra has the credentials. He has been in the coaching business for over a decade. He was the junior World Cup coach in Rotterdam in 2005 where India finished fourth. "I have known most of the players. It should be easy to work with them. More than the finer points of the game, our boys must have self-belief and confidence," he added.
It remains to be seen how the equations stay after a foreigner takes over. India's experience with foreigners -- Germany's Gerhard Rach, who was fired barely five months after his controversial appointment before the 2004 Athens Olympics and Aussie legend Ric Charlesworth -- has been rather bitter.