Hockey World Cup: Good record apart, we need to deliver in key matches - Coach Harendra

Harendra replaced Dutchman Sjoerd Marijne after the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games debacle in April where India failed to win a medal, after winning silver in the previous two editions.

Soon after the conclusion of a training session, Harendra Singh did a series of forward rolls on the synthetic turf, much to the amazement of the Indian team. The chief coach got up, raised his hands and acknowledged the loud cheer from his team at the empty Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

File image of India hockey coach Harendra Singh. (Getty Images)

“That was my punishment. We are not allowed to use the word ‘I’, we can only say ‘we’. Anyone using the words ‘main, tu, tujhe, mujhe (me, you etc.) has to do 10 pushups as punishment but since I have a sore shoulder, I did 10 rolls,” said a smiling Harendra.

Perhaps, it’s this bonhomie between the coach and his team that has resulted in a fairly successful period.

Harendra replaced Dutchman Sjoerd Marijne after the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games debacle in April where India failed to win a medal, after winning silver in the previous two editions.

Harendra joining the team had a catalytic effect, as India reached the Champions Trophy final in Breda in June-July, matching their best performance achieved in 2016. India matched world champions Australia in every aspect of the game but went down 1-3 in the penalty shootout.

The team then made a 3-0 sweep over CWG silver medallists New Zealand in the bilateral series at Bengaluru before the Asian Games test in August-September.

Defending champions India hammered every opposition in the pool stage in Jakarta to top their group with five wins and enter the semi-finals as favourites.

However, the inexplicable happened and India lost another penalty shoot-out, this time to Malaysia with forward SV Sunil missing two chances. As a consolation, India picked up a bronze by beating Pakistan 2-1.

Harendra was not amused. “When it matters most, we have to put the best foot forward. During the Champions Trophy, we should have finished (the contest) in regulation time. We went into the shoot-out, which can be anybody’s game,” said the Dronacharya awardee.

“The same happened in the Asian Games. We switched off for about three minutes in the semis and gave away the match.”

Going by the coach’s win-loss record, Harendra has done quite well. Under him, India have played 23 matches of which they’ve won 16 and lost three, with three ending in a stalemate. One contest ended without a result.

“It’s not about numbers. We have to deliver in the most important matches. We have to perform slightly better and we want goals on the scoreboard. It’s also about making fewer mistakes because if anyone makes a mistake, the entire team suffers like in the Asian Games where we had to pay the price for just one mistake. We have to work on rectifying those errors and I don’t think you will see that in the World Cup.”

Harendra finally tasted success, albeit a shared one, at the Asian Champions Trophy in October at Muscat. India beat all its rivals to enter the summit clash against Pakistan, which had to be abandoned due to rain.

Now Harendra is leading a young 18-member squad into the World Cup with all but goalkeeper PR Sreejesh born in the 1990s. However, the chief coach feels that though experience counts, it’s not everything. “Experience matters but it is not the be all and end all. In the last few years, we have fielded experienced teams but have we got good results in World Cups? No. The team management feels that those who fit in the scheme of things should get to wear the national colours,” said the former player.

“It’s not a matter of senior or junior. You have been selected and sent for the camp because you are good. Meaning, you have enough experience to represent the country. All 18 selected have earned the India colours.”

Significantly, of the 18, seven were part of the India squad that won the junior World Cup in Lucknow in 2016 under Harendra. Harmanpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Krishan Pathak, Simranjeet Singh, Varun Kumar, Nilakanta Sharma and Sumit have all been trained by Harendra and will try for an encore in Bhubaneswar.

“We are looking forward to good results in the World Cup,” concluded Harendra before driving off to the team hotel.

India under Harendra Singh:

Played: 23, Won: 16, Lost: 3, Draws: 3, NR: 1

Tournaments under Harendra:

Champions Trophy: Silver

Bilateral series vs New Zealand: Won 3-0

Asian Games: Bronze

Asian Champions Trophy: Gold (joint winners with Pakistan)