A tribal hockey tournament with a difference

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali in New Delhi 

A classic case of hockey getting a royal ignore was witnessed in Delhi last week. While the masses were busy watching IPL matches, a unique hockey tournament between tribal teams based in and around Delhi. As many as 38 men’s teams and a few women’s teams competed with Ekta Club winning the men’s title. 

There is a proper organisation, comprising about 38 teams and 500-odd tribal players, in the Delhi-NCR, with Sushil Lakra, a Grade A hockey umpire and an ex-player, who founded it along with retired assistant commissioner of police Emil Lakra in late 1970s. 

“We organise two annual tournaments and, importantly, we are self-financed. Each team contributes Rs 2,000 for the league and Rs 500 for the knockout tournament,” Sushil told Mail Today. According to a rough estimate, about 1.5 lakh tribals live in Delih-NCR. 

So, little wonder that when Dilip Tirkey, a former captain and one of best ever tribal hockey players, recently took oath as a Rajya Sabha member, he pulled strings to get additional passes for his childhood friends to witness to be present at the ceremony. “Some of his friends were meeting after 22 years,” said someone close to Tirkey

(This story first appeared in Mail Today)

I’ll never come in the way of improvement of Indian hockey: National coach Harendra Singh

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

New Delhi: National hockey coach Harendra Singh is looking ahead to working with the new chief national coach Spaniard Jose Brasa, who takes over the reins on June 1. While he is waiting to see what the approach of Brasa will be, the meticulous Harendra says he would provide him full support when he begins his stint with a preparatory camp for the upcoming Europe tour on 15 June.

Harendra spoke to me in an exclusive interview after returning from Malaysia where India, seeking a third straight title, finished fifth in the eight-team Asia Cup competition in Malaysia last week. It was his final tournament as coach in-charge.

What went wrong at the recent Asia Cup?

We slipped into a defensive mode in the league match against China and failed to make the semi-finals. But we were not overconfident despite leading 2-0 in that match. You can’t win matches with defensive play, no matter how many goal advantage you have. We have to make sure that when we have the ball all 10 players, barring the goalkeeper, should know how to attack and when we don’t have the ball we should know how all 11 players should defend. This should be borne in mind in practice as well as matches.

So we were too defensive throughout the Asia Cup?

No. For instance, in the match against Pakistan, we were in the opponents’ ‘striking circle’ for 10 minutes, during which we got three chances to score but could not.

What was the players’ performance so far the new rule of self pass was concerned?

We did well. We had also played (and won) the Azlan Shah Tournament under the new rule and had done well there too. The new rule has made the hockey faster and it has made a difference with the Indian team too. This rule gives an advantage to players who are skilful and also fast movers because while taking a free hit he doesn’t have to depend on another player to take the pass.

What was Brasa’s role in the Asia Cup?

He was there as an observer and he noted down some points during the tournament. For your information, I handed over the charge of the team to him on the 16th itself. My only regret is that we could not play the final in my final tournament as coach in-charge.

Will there be changes in the squad for the upcoming tour to Europe?

I can’t say anything now. It will only be known once the preparatory camp for the tour begins on 15 June. I don’t know what Brasa’s plans are. The venue of the camp is yet to be picked, but it will be held either in Bhopal or Bangalore.

What will be your role on the Europe tour?

National coach. I will never come in the way of anyone who does anything for the betterment of our team and Indian hockey. My only wish is to see the national flag fly high in hockey competitions.

Brasa has said that he would support the traditional Indian style of 5-3-2-1. Have you discussed this with him?

We want the results. Whatever the formation, we want the results. The concept is more important than the formation. And the concept should be if you have the ball go all out to score goals and if you don’t have the ball defend the goalpost with all your might.

What the players will be doing before the next camp starts on 15 June?

We have given the players a month long chart to work on speed, agility and quickness, strength training as well as aerobic training from Monday to Sunday so that when they return for the camp they come from a proper rest and are refreshed.

When will the core group of players for the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games be picked?

It will be done after the Junior World Cup in Singapore-Malaysia (7-21 June). Brasa and I will be going there to see the tournament and the core group of players will be picked after that.

Will you also have a role in picking the core group?

After the Junior World Cup we will give our recommendations to the selection committee. But I can’t say if I will be involved in selection as such.

(This interview first appeared on www.sportzpower.com)

Millions of steps to take, says hockey coach Harendra Singh

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

NEW DELHI: While terming the recent Azlan Shah Cup triumph as “one of the million steps…” being taken towards regaining Indian hockey's lost glory, coach-in-charge Harendra Singh is now aiming to help guide India to a hat-trick of Asia Cup titles next month in Malaysia.

The preparations for the tournament began in Bhopal on Monday as the 28 probables got down working at the Sports Authority of India Centre. The tournament will be held in Kuantan from 9 to 16 May.

“We started the camp today and 28 probables are in the camp,” Harendra told SportzPower from Bhopal. On India being on the verge of performing a hat-trick of Asia Cup titles, he said: “We should win it again.” India had won the title in 2003 in Kuala Lumpur and in Chennai in 2007.

India will have to remain highly motivated to win the Asia Cup, not just because they have just clinched the Azlan Shah Cup but also because they will not have the pressure of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. Since New Delhi is the host of the World Cup, India automatically qualify for the game’s biggest tournament. Only the winner of the Asia Cup will make it to the World Cup.

Harendra said that although the team annexed the Azlan Shah title, there is scope to further work in all departments of the game. “I would not like to go into specific weaknesses of the team because everyone, even those teams who are not taking part in the Asia Cup, will come to know about it in this age of internet. I would only say that we can still improve,” he said.

Dwelling on the gains from Azlan Shah Cup, Harendra said that his players benefited from the new self-pass rule, which was implemented in Ipoh, Malaysia. “We gained from the self pass rule and players like Arjun (Halappa), Tushar (Khandekar) and Sardara (Singh) made good use of it. The players were comfortable with the new rule. They effectively become the first line of defence when they have the ball,” he said.

As per the new rule, players can touch the ball twice after taking a free hit. The idea is to cut down on time wasting tactics. The rule becomes mandatory for all tournaments from 1 May – nine days before the Asia Cup – but it was implemented at the Azlan Shah Cup as it was in optional mode then.

Harendra had predicted that India would win the Azlan Shah Cup. But that does not mean that he would be complacent in Kuantan. “Azlan win was one of the millions of steps that we have to take to regain glory,” he said.

Defending champions India are in Pool B along with Pakistan, China and Bangladesh while Pool A comprises South Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

While penalty corner specialist and winning captain Sandeep Singh is expected to retain his post, the Indian team will be announced either on Thursday or Friday. There could be some changes in the squad that went for the Azlan Shah Cup. Vikram Pillay (nose injury), V Raghunath (shoulder), Rajpal (examinations) and Deepak Thakur (examinations), who missed the tournament, could be back in the team.