Foreign coaches need of the hour

Though they were happy with the way the Indian team played at the pre-Olympic tournament in Perth their enthusiasm was mixed with a degree of caution.

Pargat Singh said that we had always performed well in the pre-Olympic tournaments but when it came to the crunch games the team faltered.

He said that the Indian team always exposed its strategy before the major tournaments and suggested that in every game it should try different combination.

Zafar Iqbal said that other teams keep their strategy which they were planning to use in the major games under wraps in tune-up tournaments. He said the team was shaping up well and the period before the Olympics should be utilised for working on shortcomings.

Pargat Singh was critical of the way six senior players were removed after the Bangkok Asian Games. He said that one can understand the need to give a chance to the juniors to play at the international level but such a move can destabilise the team.

Zafar Iqbal was, howver, satisfied with the speed at which youngsters have picked up the nuances of the game at the international level.

Both were worried about the declining popularity of the game of hockey and said that the game needs to be marketed aggressively which had never been attempted before.

Pargat Singh said that the Asian Games victory in Bangkok was a good opportunity to attract sponsors but nothing was done by the Indian Hockey Federation.

Asked whether involving former players in the running of the game would change the state of game for the better, both refused to offer any comment.