Devesh Chauhan has let in soft goals

The Indian hockey team has qualified for the Athens Olympics. Not that we could presage this skin-of-the-teeth graduation, but, then, such has been the trend. That the Asian champions also finished fourth, quite like in the Champions Trophy (being beaten by Pakistan) also keeps to the tenor of things.

India’s form, early in the Madrid qualifiers was shaky. They settled down later, and this was expected. Side by side, though, we were also expecting that the main weaknesses would be exposed. They were, too.

The three crucial weak spots which I was apprehensive about, and which needed to be plugged (and coach Rajinder Singh also was fearing the same), was the solidarity (or lack of it) of the half line, the defence of penalty corners, and penalty corner conversions.

As I see it, a lot of effort remains, still, if we have to achieve our long cherished goal of at least entering the semi-finals in Athens.

Consider the goalkeeping: I thought Devesh Chauhan had come of age in the last two years, and had come to stay as Mr Dependable. In this tournament, unfortunately — especially in the defence of penalty corners against Pakistan and Holland — he has let in very soft goals. He seems to have lost his confidence after Jugraj Singh’s injury.

It’s not only Devesh, the entire defensive set-up seems to be failing in thwarting penalty corners. I’m not sure of the reason. Maybe it was because Jugraj was a one-man army, going straight into the man who was pushing.

We tried this with Len Ayappa, bringing him in for short periods expecting a goal. That isn’t a weird strategy at all. The great Sohail Abbas started out that way, moving in for the kill and stepping out as quickly. But then he did develop into a better player. The problem with Ayappa is that he has yet to deserve a full berth in the team.

Look back at the Asia Cup. The difference is that there Sohail Abbas failed. The penalty corner defence problem remains.

Hence, Kamalpreet Singh, too. I was very disappointed with his action. A full back, just making long clearances… That doesn’t seem right. If you get possession of the ball, keep the ball in your team, start building up an attack. You don’t let go responsibility quickly. Unfortunately, except for Viren Rasquinha, I can’t see any other consistent performance by any half back.

The redeeming feature in the Indian team has been the forward line. But that push is being negated by the goals you concede. As I have said earlier, I’d like a 1-0 win better than a 5-4 win. There’s some homework left for coach Rajinder Singh in this.

Talk of the penalty corners: Pakistan have Sohail Abbas. We have lost Jugraj. In other countries, players start pushing the ball from childhood, and on astroturf. Naturally strong, healthy bodies add to this. They just go on practising. And when do we start? Around the age of 20, possibly when we have been spotted at some junior meet and are lucky enough to be on astroturf for the first time.

In a penalty corner, the coach has little to do. It is the individual who counts. His confidence, his variation, his strength, his angles.

A coach can only refine things, but the basics will have to be drilled in from a very young age. Rajinder himself was a penalty corner specialist, having been the highest scorer in the World Cup in the then Bombay. But he was a natural surface player. Astroturf is different.

I remember Prithpal Singh (another specialist of those times) used to hit 100 to 150 balls each day in training camps. Such is the dedication required, and that too, on artificial surface.

About the forwards: We surely have one of the best forward lines in the world today. Individually there may be better players in the world, but our four in attack can beat any defence. Just a wee bit of worry is that Prabhjot Singh could perform better. He seems to be slowing down a bit. Deepak Thakur and Gagan Ajit Singh have scored some spectacular goals from near-impossible angles. Arjun Halappa has come good, and Baljit Dhillon still can make a difference.

Full-backs: Dilip Tirkey remains dependable despite a few mistakes. The thin bench strength, though, worries, me. That should see growth.

The core of the team is done. No more experimentation should be done. We have to tune-up within that framework.

Psychologist: This need is for individuals, not for the team. The team is motivated enough. And at this stage this should be done carefully, too, with as little fiddling around with the basics as possible. Talk players out of pressure situations.