The team’s mood, India coach Graham Reid’s own contract, and why a redesigned HIL could be very helpful.
The Indian hockey team has had a particularly mentally taxing four days. The team led by Harmanpreet Singh has had a difficult time coping with the pressure they were under.
The difficult questions they were asked, and the painful home exit from the World Cup.
However, Japan’s 8-0 defeat has somewhat calmed things down.
The Asian Games gold medalists’ confidence was restored for the team that lost to New Zealand in the crossovers on Sunday after a comprehensive victory without conceding a goal on Thursday night.
“The first 24 hours were difficult to recover from following the loss to New Zealand. The past three days have been hard. There were a lot of mixed emotions.
Including disappointment and anger at having let people down and other similar feelings. However, the fact that we attempted to focus on the subsequent two games made me proud. Graham Reid.
India’s head coach, stated, “At the moment, it’s only half the job done.” The hosts will face South Africa in the 9-12 position match on Saturday in Rourkela after winning the 9-16 classification playoff.
India will finish either ninth or tenth if they win. 11th or 12th, if they fail. India’s worst finish was 12th in London in 1986 when they finished last.
“It’s really good that we would put the fact that we will be playing Japan once more at the Asian Games later this year into some context.
Therefore, it was essential to perform. but also purely for pride’s sake. We needed to do it for ourselves, and that was the main topic of discussion.
After the loss to New Zealand, there has been a lot of discussion about Reid’s future in the Indian team. The Australian joined the team in April 2019.
His most memorable achievement was leading India to its first Olympic medal in 41 years in Tokyo. However, tournament results have fluctuated since then.
“I have signed a contract that will last until Paris” However, I assume we will review at the conclusion of this (World Cup). But for now, South Africa is our next match. That’s what I’m concentrating on, Reid stated.
With the Asian Games coming up in September and the Olympics in Paris coming up next year, the situation could get a little tricky if Reid leaves or is asked to.
It could be risky for a new coach to arrive so late before important multidisciplinary events. Dilip Tirkey, president of Hockey India (HI), spoke earlier this week about hiring a mental conditioning coach for the team.
Sports psychologists accompany the majority of world-class teams on their travels, assisting players whenever necessary.
The topic has been brought up before. We have access to sports psychologists at SAI (Sports Authority of India), but when they work with your team, things are a little different.
It matters a lot to have someone attached to your team and to have trust among them. We were making progress in terms of mental toughness.
However, the domestic World Cup does add some extra pressure. It can sometimes be hard to process. Additionally, we need to be able to trust that individual.
It must be the right person, for me to be at ease. It’s sometimes hard to pick one, but it has to be an Indian.
Additionally, there has been a lot of discussion regarding the Indian team’s bench strength and its ability to compete with the best in the world.
Top teams like Germany, Australia, Belgium, and the Netherlands—the four semifinalists here—have a club culture where players regularly compete against the best players in the world and stay in shape.
However, there is no club culture in India, with the best players participating in practice games against one another at national camps for the majority of the year.
They typically participate in low-level domestic tournaments for their departments when they have time off, which are significantly below international standards.
We require a rivalry that is more comparable to international competition. Before, we had Hockey India League (HIL).
That was excellent. However, it is extremely challenging to invent a club culture from scratch. That is the issue. In the end, it’s a difficult task, whereas HIL might be a little easier.
You have the financial reasons for everything. I don’t think anyone would object to HIL returning.