On National Sports Day, former coach Michael Nobbs warns Indian hockey team of dissatisfaction

Former head coach of the Indian men’s hockey team Michael Nobbs has said that India has shown an amazing improvement in their mindset, which helped them win a bronze medal at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics. India won Germany 5-4 in an exciting match to win the Olympic medal after 41 years. India had won a gold medal in Moscow in 1980 and then dropped off the international ranks for several reasons. On National Sports Day, which was celebrated on the birthday of hockey director Dhyan Chand on August 29, former Australian International and Olympic Nobbs said Indian hockey is certainly on the rise. Excerpts from the interview.

Outlook: Indian men won bronze in Tokyo in 2020. What does that mean for Indian hockey?

Michael NobbsA: I think it’s a testament to the hard work that many people have done over the last 11 years, especially Narinder Batra, who had a vision to start an effort to revive Indian hockey. It means to so many that hockey is an intellectual game in India. However, this is the first step in restoring the crowning glory of Olympic gold, which the great Dhyan Chandin India was once a monopolist. Indian hockey is now the right thing to do in this regard.

Q: Australia faded and then returned heavily – which aspects of the Indian men’s hockey team impressed you the most?

AA: India had two options at the time – the surrender that many Indian teams have made in the past, or show the courage to step forward and show Indian supporters that they are meant to be here. The fighting and blaming game could have started easily, but in their honor, they showed the flexibility with which previous teams failed.

Q: So many debuts in Tokyo in 2020. Head coach Graham Reid wanted the team’s first mentality. Older players like SV Sunil, Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh, were dropped…

A: Personally, I thought the players Akashdeep and Ramandeep were worth choosing. They’ve played well in all the starting games, so it was definitely a surprise that they were knocked out. Who knows, maybe silver or gold has been avoided because of choices made in India? Sunil has been a great player in Indian hockey for many years, but I thought his choice was not justified because the younger players he competed against on the team were just as good and have shown it to be at the Tokyo Olympics.

Q: What does India need to do to keep up with this new found growth? Will there be more pressure on the men’s hockey team to move forward?

A: India cannot relax and rest. The biggest problem I see is that players have been given popularity and money. Most players can withdraw happily from what they have received. Satisfaction is therefore a big problem. It took 11 years to build the team, it would be a shame to see it collapse now. One solution would be to restore the Indian Hockey Association (PHL) to men and women as it was a huge catalyst for the growth of Indian hockey. It gave younger players the belief that Europeans and Australians were like them. The FIH Pro League was a waste of financial time, and many countries are almost bankrupt because of it and should be wiped out.

The pressure on the hockey team is now enormous as the hockey crowd expects consistency and gradually better results. That’s the way it has to be. However, India has now shown that it is home to hockey all over the world and that it should play an even more important role in the game.

The Tokyo Games proved the full age of the Indian women’s hockey team. Figure – PTI / AP

Q: The Indian girls amazed Australia and then were left with a bit of bronze. How do you see this change?

A: The Indian women’s hockey national team is slowly recovering, and while they don’t have the brilliance of the men’s team, the girls have healed under the radar and haven’t gotten the pressure from the men’s team. This has certainly helped them. Sjoerd Marijne has done an excellent job and developed them into a serious challenger to achieve the top six results.

Q: Dutch coach Sjoerd Marijne said Indian girls must now be treated like men. Flat visibility, more tournaments at home, professional league…

A: I agree. Female players and administrators must strive for this. I think their continued growth in the men’s allied Indian Hockey Federation would be vital to the continued success of the women’s team.

Q: Do you think foreign support staff (both men and women) have helped Indian hockey grow in the last 4-5 years?

AA: Definitely, if you think that is not the case, look at Pakistan. They have believed as soon as you are in the Olympics, you can coach. How has it worked for them? They’re as talented as Indian players, but that’s all. Coaching is weak and fighting too much (in Pakistan). There is no doubt that over time, more and more former Indian players will claim the case as national head coach. It’s as it should be, but now is a critical time, and this team has to push ahead, and it’s going to be even harder because there’s not much between the top six teams in the world. One mistake and you know the rest.