Indian men's hockey is looking for a new coach and direction. And the answers that it's seeking might well be found at home.
Emerging as frontrunner for the job of chief coach following Dutchman Roelant Oltmans' sacking a few days ago is Junior World Cup-winning coach Harendra Singh. Hockey India (HI) has advertised for the position, inviting applications to be sent in by interested candidates before September 15. Speaking to ESPN, Harendra said he's more than keen to take up the role if given a chance, and will apply for the position over the next few days.
"At this juncture, I think the team needs someone who knows the players," he says, "I will definitely apply for the post and if picked, would love to work with our talented bunch of players, most of whom I've trained through their junior years, share a great rapport with and go back a long way. I know the boys well and will fit the role."
India's next major tournament - the Asia Cup in Dhaka ¬- is less than six weeks away with High Performance Director (HPD) David John currently acting as interim coach.
Oltmans, who took charge of the side in 2015, is the fourth foreign coach to be shown the door over the last five years - following Michael Nobbs, Terry Walsh and Paul van Ass - which might not act as the perfect pitch for possible foreign names. Apart from Harendra, Indian women's team coach Sjeord Marijne and Jay Stacy of Australia are also learnt to be in the running. The new chief coach will be contracted until December 31, 2020 subject to the satisfactory completion of a six-month probation period and will report to the HPD.
John has been open about his views with regard to Harendra being the best candidate for the job given his familiarity with players and also the timing of the appointment, since most of the other coaches are already engaged with national teams until the 2020 Olympics.
What could also work to Harendra's favour is having the absolute, resounding backing of players. With Oltmans, apart from the team's dismal performance at the Hockey World League (where India finished sixth out of 10 teams), it is understood that charges of favouring certain non-performing players, not giving junior players enough opportunities and not being able to motivate the side, added up to his unceremonious exit three years before his contract was to run out.
The decision to sack him was taken following HI's three-day review meeting with India's loss to lower-ranked teams like Malaysia (twice this year) and Canada (at the World League) and the general feeling being that of players having plateaued over the past one year. "To have half the players attend camps and the other half pack their bags and leave for tours was doing us no good," a former national player says. "It's time we gave Indian coaches a chance and right now, there is no better person than Harendra."
Adding that the Indian side is among the most talented, Harendra noted that the next coach's primary focus should be on not just being mindful of players' strengths but also allowing them the space to perform. "Whoever takes charge will find it tough to pick the A team. That's the depth of talent we have. Also one cannot restrict talented players like Sardar (Singh) or Manpreet (Singh). They have to be given freedom to play in certain zones and only then can they come up with their natural game. Once we work on our defending and finishing, results will follow. I believe I can make a difference."