They may not utter a word about it but the Indian women's hockey team's rattled self-confidence post the MK Kaushik sex scandal is clearly visible from their drooping body language during the ongoing national camp in preparation for the World Cup at the National Institute of Sports
They may not utter a word about it but the Indian women's hockey team's rattled self-confidence post the MK Kaushik sex scandal is clearly visible from their drooping body language during the ongoing national camp in preparation for the World Cup at the National Institute of Sports.
The selection committee that came visiting yesterday gauged this at the very outset.
Former India ace Zafar Iqbal, one of the two government nominees in the selection committee told MiD DAY: "Whatever has happened is very sad. But the girls have to put it behind them. They will definitely be a bit low on confidence and it's our job to try and boost that by giving them all the support they need.
"We arrived only last evening and plan to meet up with the team and give them a little pep talk either later today or tomorrow," Zafar said yesterday.
India's 1975 World Cup-winning skipper Ajit Pal Singh, the second government nominee, was glad the team wanted to get on with things. "They are a hardworking bunch. With a little bit of encouragement, they will be just fine," said Ajit Pal.
One of the selectors, Balbir Singh Jr believed that as soon as the girls' mental aspect is strengthened, the results would come automatically.
"This team tends to be very inconsistent. On a given day, they can beat a top team like China. On another occasion, will lose badly to the same side. They need to be stronger mentally. And that will happen after a good talk with them. We will share our experiences with them and I'm sure they will pick the positives from it," said Balbir.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
