Triumph and Trauma of a Coach
M. K. Kaushik with K. Arumugam
| Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 |
 |
Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 |
The Early Rounds | Mukesh played the best of his matches
today, combining beautifully with Sabu and Dhanraj. A move between
him and Dhanraj resulted in the first goal.
In terms of goal scoring, creating opportunities and in body play situations, Dhanraj is the best. This goal was further proof of this. However, I have no hesitation to say that Sabu Varkey played better than Mukesh and Dhanraj on this day. |
|||||
| Page 7 | Page 8 | Page 9 | Page 10 | Page 11 | Page 12 | |
ur
first match in the Asiad was against Singapore. Their Indian coach P. A. Raphael
is technically astute. I knew Raphael since he had lived in my hometown Delhi
for many years.
We had a heart-to-heart discussion wherein we dissected Indian hockey, and also talked about his assignments abroad. It was apparent that Raphael was a dejected man. He had no good words for Indian hockey's so-called administrators.
Back in the early 1990s, Raphael was training the Indian junior men's team. Just two days before he was to take the Indian team for the Junior World Cup Qualifier, he was sacked. No one knew the exact reason for such an illogical step by the IHF. Due to dejection, Raphael left India and chose to train teams abroad, first Thailand, and now the Singapore national team.
Some of the boys in my team, like Anil Aldrin, Sandeep Somesh and Sabu Varkey, owed a lot to this gentleman. Raphael spotted them early and trained them in the SAI Sports Hostel, Bangalore.
I had no doubt about winning the match against Singapore. We decided to go all out and got a dozen goals in the match without conceding any. Dhanraj Pillai scored four goals with his characteristic touch and ease. For India to succeed, Dhanraj has to be in the thick of scoring. I was excited. After the match, Raphael wished me good luck.
Our next match was against our neighbour Bangladesh. That country may not be a force in international hockey. They do not possess any big infrastructure. The country has only one synthetic ground, in the capital city Dhaka. Hockey does not have a big following in Bangladesh even remotely comparable to football or cricket.
But their authorities conduct the game in a systematic way. Their clubs invite leading players from India and Pakistan during the season. It adds colour and competitive edge to their league.
Our star players Dhanraj, Mukesh and Mohammad Riaz played in the Dhaka league. The clubs pay the invitees handsomely. It is something wonderful. When foreign players display their skills in the domestic leagues, it attracts not only more crowds to the stands, but also improves the quality of the contests. I, as a player and coach, long for such a system to take root on our soil.
I knew that the Bangladeshis were aiming for a draw. Dhanraj and Mukesh were in touch with their players, and hinted to me about their confidence at holding us to a draw. They had managed an honourable 1-2 scoreline against us in the final of the pre-Asian Games tournament staged at the same venue less than a month earlier. That was why their motivation level was on a higher plank. They boasted, "We know how to block Dhanraj and Mukesh."
Their confidence did not worry a bit. I set a nine-goal target for my boys. Initially the goals were hard to come by. Till the 26th minute, we scored only twice. Then we rained five more goals on them, four of them in the second half, to win easily. Our 7-0 victory, though satisfying, was only half of what South Korea scored against them on the opening day. After the match, their coach and manager Rahmatullah Khan shook hands with me and said, "Your team played a very good game."
When our team lined up for the third match against China, I was more worried about the player's safety than a victory. The Chinese, like the Koreans, are a very harsh side and indulge in body play. The Chinese had already lost both their matches, and were expected to go all out.
Except the left winger and the defenders, all our six forwards were pressed into attack. Mukesh played the best of his matches today, combining beautifully with Sabu and Dhanraj. A move between him and Dhanraj resulted in the first goal.
In terms of goal scoring, creating opportunities and in body play situations, Dhanraj is the best. This goal was further proof of this. However, I have no hesitation to say that Sabu Varkey played better than Mukesh and Dhanraj on this day.
In the second half, China neutralised our lead, with the goal coming off their second penalty corner. A bad tackle from Dileep Tirkey had led to that penalty corner.
Our winning goal came in the 63rd minute. It was a controversial one. I only saw Mukesh Kumar standing half a step outside the striking circle when he negotiated a powerful hit. The ball went home even as Dhanraj desperately tried to deflect or touch it.
However, my observations were from the bench. The umpire is the right person in the right position to decide in such delicate situations. Malaysian umpire Neru Ruben, after consulting his Japanese colleague Fujimara, signalled a goal much to our delight. After three victories, we were now ready for our next opponent, defending champion South Korea.
India vs. China in the Asian Games
Photograph Courtesy The Hindu