CWG 2010 presents Indian hockey the ideal platform to make up for its world cup debacle, and Rajpal Singh's men in blue are eager to grab this opportunity
CWGu00a02010 presents Indian hockey the ideal platform to make up for its world cup debacle, and Rajpal Singh's men in blue are eager to grab this opportunity
It is said that life offers no second chances. But, that's not true in the case of the Indian hockey team.
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Despite a host of controversies, the national team and game have been embroiled in, the Commonwealth Games offers the Indian hockey team a second chance to redeem themselves on home soil.
Rajpal Singh & Co's eighth place finish at the FIH World Cup held in New Delhi earlier this year was nothing short of embarrassing. The good thing however is that the team is keen to make up for that shoddy show. And their planning seems fool-proof.
The out-of-form players of the February-March World Cup ufffd Prabhjot Singh and Deepak Thakur ufffd have been left out. Spanish coach Jose Brasa's strategy of using the rolling substitution to the hilt is working wonders.
And finally, the radical idea of including just one goalkeeper (Bharat Chetri) in the 16-member squad is a gamble that could make or break this inspired unit.
Coach Harendra Singh believes it's the right move. "As there is no second goalkeeper, we have one extra player on the bench, who can be utilised in the game as per our strategy," he said.
The single goalkeeper strategy is a risk considering that the 'keeper has to remain injury-free throughout the tournament.
However, Olympic Gold Quest CEO and former India skipper Viren Rasquinha believes a player should never worry about injury going into such a major tournament.
"No player goes into a match or tournament worrying about injuries. I know Bharat (Chetri) for over a decade now and he won't even be thinking about injury. He's in great form and I'm sure he will give his 100 per cent.
It's high time India went with the one 'keeper theory. Modern hockey is not about 11 players anymore but about 16. Every player, even on the bench, has to be utilised. A perfect utilisation of these resources is what decides the outcome of a match."
Attacking midfielder Vikram Pillay will don the pads in case something untoward happens to Chetri.
"We hope Bharat does not get injured, but if he does, Vikram will stand under the bar. He's a good footballer and has even kept goal, so he was our automatic choice as alternate 'keeper. In training, he has been practising as a midfielder in the first half and then as a goalkeeper in the second. It has worked well," said Clarence Lobo, another coach in the team.
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