Three-time Olympian N Mukesh Kumar still feels that the biggest mistake of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) was the removal of Maharaj Krishan Kaushik as coach of the Indian men’s team despite his role in guiding the side to the gold medal in the 1998 Asian Games at Bangkok. “If he had continued as coach after the Bangkok Asian Games, India would have surely won a medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics,” says Mukesh. “Unfortunately, his removal was followed by the gradual decline of Indian hockey. A man of integrity, he is one of the few coaches to be held in high esteem for his knowledge and man-management skills.”
Former right-winger Mukesh feels that Chak de India could well be seen as Kaushik’s story. Kaushik, who has been with the women’s team for quite sometime, has taught the side to be unfazed by challenges and roadblocks. The recent triumph in the Champions Challenge II tournament at Kazan (Russia) bears testimony to his quest for excellence. “I’m happy we won that tournament. It is a tribute to the hard work put in by the girls. But there is still a lot that is left to do,’’ says Kaushik, a member of the 1980 Moscow Olympics gold medal-winning team.
Fifty-four-year-old Kaushik maintains that it is important to turn negatives into positives. “I have always believed there is no substitute for hard work. We are aware that there are difficulties but we should turn them into positives. The team has the skills; what we lack is the fitness. I am trying to impress upon this bunch of enthusiastic young girls the importance of fitness if we are to challenge the best in the world. We have to be optimistic. We have to be patient to develop a winning unit,’’ he elaborates.
Currently in the process of rebuilding the side, Kaushik says he has achieved 40 per cent of the results desired. “There is more work to be done,” he continues. “For instance, both the defence and the attack need to be more effective. Players must be full of energy and enterprise. Ball possession and positional play are as important. There is also work to do on penalty corners and rebounds. To be honest, we need to improve both physically and tactically,’’ says Kaushik, who was coach of the Indian women’s team that stunned Australia (semifinal) and England (final) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
Kaushik says that it is necessary to conduct frequent exposure trips. “By playing against European teams, we can improve a lot. The Europeans are rough and we have to be ready to face the body-tackling of their players in big tournaments. Once they play European teams regularly, Indian girls will develop the confidence to face them in big matches,’’ says Kaushik. Incidentally, Kaushik was held back by the women’s team after he was offered the chance to coach the men’s team last year. That the Indian women’s team beat a strong team like Belgium in the final in Kazan indicates that there has been improvement.
das@epmltd.com