Hail Ric Charlesworth! I am sure that India’s hockey authorities, the government included, would be kicking themselves for not hiring the Aussie back in 2008 when he had offered to train the National side. Rather, Charlesworth was humiliated, castigated and then nailed to the cross before he fell victim to a vicious whispering campaign. Ric left India a hurt man, shaking his head in bewilderment.
Thus, last night in Delhi, when his team won the World Cup defeating Germany in the final, Ric would have made a point to a country that had rejected him. The success has certainly raised his status as a coach to legendary heights and frankly, I cannot think of another who is as decorated in terms of triumphs. After all, Ric had trained the Aussie women’s team that won two World Cups (1994, 1998) and as many Olympic gold medals (1996, 2000). To top it, he had captained the team that last won the World Cup, back in 1986.
Hockey World Cup
In 2006, during the World Cup at Monchengladbach, Germany, I spent a few hours with him as he spoke about his long-held dream of training the Indian team. “Your country has so much talent and it will be my pleasure to train the National team. I am aware of the situation in India and I look at it as a challenge,” he had said.
I also had the unique opportunity of sitting beside him and watching one of India’s matches then. He picked holes in the Indian strategy, especially the deployment of players. “I am not sure some of the players are in the right positions. What a waste of talent!” he lamented. Ric then went on to explain a few salient features of modern hockey and it was an education that no coaching manual would have provided.
Cut to present, and last night, I thought Ric had his plans spot-on. Of more relevance was that the on-field execution was near flawless. The Germans, bottled up in the midfield, struggled with the short leash on which they were kept and the Aussies were simply brilliant with their pace and fitness levels.
For those who watched the final, it must have been a revelation as to what modern hockey is all about. Forget those pretty skills and supple wrists that the Asians were once known for and the attributes that had helped them rule the hockey kingdom in the distant past. Rather, today, it is all about fitness, speed and power besides tactical acumen of the players who can execute the plans on the pitch.
Sadly, with the exception of the Koreans, the other two Asian outfits, India and Pakistan, were left floundering. As much as we sympathise with Pakistan for their last place finish that is bound to have huge repercussions back home, the fact was that neither of these two former Kings of Hockey was equal to the task at this level of the game. To say that both Pakistan and India were out of depth is to put it mildly.
IPL 2010: Full Coverage
I wouldn’t attach much significance to the numbers game that Indians are indulging in, saying that the eighth position here was an “improvement” over the ninth, 10th and 11th spots they occupied in the previous three editions. That is a lot of hogwash and India have a long journey ahead if they hope to be competitive at the highest level.
The point is that hockey in the sub-continent is so deeply rooted in the past with all those gold medals, that we tend to be blind to the progress other teams have made in the last two decades. The game has changed along with the rules that have injected a lot of pace and continuity. Yet, the talk in the sub-continent is about how Europeans have altered hockey to suit their style of play, be it the introduction of astro-turf or frequent rule changes.
Such arguments are pathetic in a world that is changing by the minute. There has been no attempt by the hockey authorities in the sub-continent to give the game in their respective countries a direction or create an environment that facilitates the development of the game in conformity to modern trends.
The scenario in Indian hockey is certainly gloomy, but certainly not beyond repair. Of immediate need and urgency is to focus on our sub-juniors and preferably attach them to a foreign coach on an eight-year programme. Of course, this is only part of the solution as the situation also demands wholesale changes in the administration to provide some direction and vision for Indian hockey.
So, all is not lost, but at the end of the day, our destiny lies in our hands. It’s time to look within.
