If a hockey player hasn’t mastered fundamental individual skills, it will be hard to excel in future says a national hockey coach
India were outclassed by Germany 1-5 in the semifinal of the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup in progress in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
The better team won on the given day, but what the match unravelled was something to worry about in the longer run. Anticipation of several youngsters in the crucial semifinal against Germany was simply not good enough for that level.
The majority of them will have a good chance to move to the senior group in the near future, and that should be a worrying factor for Hockey India.
Several elite junior hockey players haven’t shown the potential to excel at senior level. There is a dearth of talent at the domestic level. “If a hockey player at 20 hasn’t mastered fundamental individual skills and can’t anticipate, it will be hard to excel in future,” a national hockey coach said.
The Indian team has to stay focused in the race for the bronze medal against Argentina.
In the past, the national junior team has excelled at the FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup. But the same bunch of players couldn’t repeat their act at the senior level. India last won the senior hockey World Cup in 1975.
India has revived its hockey at the top level in last two Olympic cycle. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games held in 2021 in Japan, the Indian hockey team was back on the podium (bronze).
The national team won back-to-back medals (bronze) at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
However, given the current scenario the wise men of Hockey India might have to go back to the boardroom to prepare a holistic chart to prepare the national team for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The litmus test will be the 2026 Asian Games.
ENDS
