Former Indian goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza watches intently as a younger goalkeeper takes a dash from the place the place a custodian takes guard to the realm the place the penalty nook specialist takes his or her shot.
On the opposite aspect of the bogus turf on the SDAT-Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium right here in Chennai, former India defender, a penalty nook specialist, and a key member of the crew that gained the bronze medal within the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, is busy taking a video of a participant unleashing a drag flick. Then, he will get busy speaking to the younger gamers on the nuances of drag flicks. For over an hour, the 2 Olympians, Rupinderpal Singh (2021 Tokyo) and Adrian (2004 Athens) get occupied, discussing with the younger gamers, all aged under-19 years, the method and technique concerned in taking penalty corners and the artwork of goalkeeping respectively.
Novel initiative
“It’s a distinctive and novel initiative by Hockey India. A training camp like this has not occurred earlier than,” gushed Adrian at the same time as Rupinderpal stated: “We would like the gamers to have the correct method and we’re desperate to groom gamers who present vivid potential.”
THE GIST
Rupinderpal stated the 0-5 whitewash within the just lately concluded Take a look at collection towards Australia wasn’t a real reflection of how the Indian males’s crew can carry out on the Paris Olympics
Adrian stated India must be cautious about Australia’s counter-attack because it has the power to transform a defensive alternative right into a goalscoring alternative in 15 seconds
Rupinderpal and Adrian, who’re in Chennai for a week-long teaching camp organised by Hockey India, stated it was a novel concept by HI. They really feel the camp will assist identification and groom promising younger abilities
The 2 Olympians are of the view that India can win a medal at Paris offered they’re constant and play collectively as a unit
In fact, issues have been not so vivid for the Indian males’s crew particularly with Paris Olympics nearing. In a disastrous outing in Australia, India misplaced all of the 5 Take a look at matches in Perth. The crew’s efficiency mirrored the Murphy’s legislation, “No matter has gone flawed will go flawed.”
Rupinderpal and Adrian weren’t unduly frightened concerning the crew’s drubbing in Australia. Moderately, they felt it can power the crew right into a huddle and the gamers will give you a greater efficiency within the forthcoming FIH Professional League in Europe and the Paris Olympics.
Rupinderpal is of the agency opinion that the crew has to focus extra on penalty nook defence and rating extra discipline targets. The 33-year-old, with 223 Worldwide caps, defined the teachings learnt within the failed Take a look at collection towards Australia.
“Take a look at video games are at all times taken as preparation earlier than the larger tournaments. So, I believe I’m certain they’ve taken these video games in that mentality solely. However, in fact in these Take a look at video games, they’ve tried many issues together with attempting varied mixtures. They have been new faces as properly. I believe the top coach (Craig Fulton) has given alternative to new faces, too. In that method, I believe it’s a plus level that they have 5 video games towards Australia earlier than the Professional-League and the Olympics. And I believe they only want to enhance on defensive construction, particularly penalty nook defence as a result of they’ve conceded round seven targets throughout penalty nook defence; it‘s an space they should enhance. On the similar time, they should work on scoring some discipline targets as properly.”
Having performed Take a look at matches in Perth in his time with the Indian crew, Adrian stated Indians have achieved badly in Perth. Particularly when he was with the Indian crew twice, the crew fared fairly badly.
In accordance with the previous India custodian, with 165 Worldwide caps, the most important problem for the Indian males’s crew has been Perth. “Greater than Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, I believe Perth has been a vacation spot the place as an Indian squad we’ve at all times had a troublesome time. There’s no particular cause. In my expertise, Perth would at all times be a spot the place we’d have a troublesome time. I believe twice we went there throughout my time as a participant. We misplaced the collection 3-0 and 4-0 in 2007-08 & the following time was in 2010.”
Discover new rushers
Adrian is evident that the crew has to enhance its penalty nook defence, which is an space of concern. He insisted India that has to seek out new rushers aside from the standard ones similar to Manpreet Singh and Amit Rohidas.
“We had one of the best first rushers like Manpreet Singh and the opposite guys on the market giving their life out. And for assault, it’s at all times been Harmanpreet Singh and now we now have Jugraj Singh and plenty of others. And, in fact, defender Amit Rohidas; he’s the wall, who is sort of a goalkeeper operating on the market. However we can not at all times rely solely on Amit and Manpreet. We’ve to seek out others. And that’s what this complete collection has been about. There have been many different gamers who bought the chance to symbolize India towards Australia in a Take a look at collection.”
Neither refusing to single out any participant who did properly nor prepared to choose any participant for defeat within the Take a look at collection towards Australia, Rupinderpal stated hockey has at all times been about crew effort and camaraderie. He stated if these two features are there in a crew, any battle might be overcome. …”I don’t imagine in particular person performances. In fact, it counts. However on the similar time, if the crew’s coordination and crew’s atmosphere is nice, then any battle on the sector might be managed.”
Adrian stated the optimistic facet within the run-up to Paris Olympics was that the crew has sufficient time to organize not like what occurred in Tokyo. He stated: “For me, the most important problem is that the gamers shouldn’t get demotivated. As a result of we now have lower than 90 days for Paris. We’ve to study classes from Perth. Not like the final time within the Tokyo Olympics, there weren’t many follow matches that the crew might play as a result of COVID. However now the crew is getting extra publicity. I believe your entire administration will need to have certainly learnt rather a lot. And found out one of the best crew for Paris as a result of it will be a really robust one.”
Furthermore, Adrian stated India has failed to manage Australia within the latter’s counter-attacks. “Personally, I really feel there are more difficult components. Particularly with penalty nook defence. And with regards to Australia, it’s the counter-attacks that we now have to be very, very cautious about. That was one of many weaker features. Undoubtedly, Australia can convert a defensive alternative. The Australian crew can be defending and within the subsequent 15 seconds, they’ll rating a objective. So, the difficult half is the way you break them as Australia doesn’t wish to be damaged. And so they don’t wish to have extra fouls on them. And that was an important lesson to be learnt within the current Take a look at collection.”
Adrian stated in Paris Olympics, probabilities of getting penalty corners isn’t straightforward and the Indian crew ought to be capable to convert the few probabilities it will get. “When you’re going to go to an Olympics, you certainly are going to solely be ready for 2 or three penalty corners per sport, however it’s a must to convert. Conversion charges need to be 100 per cent or no less than 80 per cent. And never 50 per cent, which won’t show you how to a lot.”
Rupinderpal felt India has been doing properly in penalty corners with Harmanpreet and Jugraj doing properly and he believed that they need to deal with it and fine-tune it.
Mastering it
Adrian stated the Indian crew has mastered the two vs 1 (return passes) the place the 2 attackers don’t maintain the ball or dribble for lengthy. Moderately they move shortly to the opposite giving no likelihood to the defender. “The very best half what I’ve been observing in Indian hockey just lately is the mix. The one-to-one passes that we now have been doing. It reminds you of Dhanraj Pillay and Mukesh Kumar. You would possibly change the color of the turf, you would possibly change the color of the ball, however there are particular issues you may’t change. A ‘2v1’ will at all times beat the opponent. However the way in which you do it and the place you do it’s so necessary. Proper now, India has been doing it on the proper locations.”
Rupinderpal and Adrian stated a medal for India at Paris shouldn’t be dominated out however as is the cliche it has to take one match at time. Adrian weighed in: “It is determined by how constant the crew is on a given day. As a result of consistency performs a giant position within the massive occasions. You’ll be able to have an important match versus Australia. Perhaps, we’ll win Australia. However what when you lose the opposite video games? What when you lose to Eire? And that’s the key for Indians, particularly mentally. I believe the Indian crew has the correct set of teaching workers. However on the finish, what issues is how they work as a crew. As a result of what you witnessed within the Tokyo Olympics is a whole crew effort. All people chipped.”
The 2 Olympians strongly imagine that crew work would be the key for the Indian crew. Defined Adrian: “When you’ve got 11 gamers on the sector, even when eight gamers are giving their 100 per cent these three (non-performing) can be hidden. However when you’ve got 11 gamers on the sector and eight are usually not performing, then even these three who’re performing will are available in that loop.”