Harendra bullish about Indian junior men's hockey team
Winning a tournament always has a ‘special feeling’ but for the Indian junior men’s hockey team head coach Harendra Singh, the 9th Junior Asia Cup triumph in Kuantan, Malaysia it is not something to be super excited. “It’s a normal thing to win a tournament – I’m just happy to see my team win the 9th Junior Asia Cup but we have a long way to go before we become the world’s best. The boys stuck to their plan and deserved the title win,” he brushes aside the thought of any complacency.
The self-effacing Indian coach believes the team has adapted well to a process that is being put in process. “When we talk of process it’s not about hockey only – it’s about an individual player growing being part of the process. We have to do well in major tournaments and that will give me more satisfaction as coach.”
The 2016 Junior World Cup is a year away – Harendra says a lot of hard work needs to be carried out during this period. “My boys will have to work hard – what they do in 24 hours should reflect in the 70 minutes of play. We have seven-eight good players but for us to be a world-beater we need all players in the squad to be solid.” We all know how expectations were sky-high when India went into the 2013 Junior World Cup but finished a poor tenth. “Look, expectations will always be there and we have to cope with that. I always believed that results are not in our hands but only the efforts. I’m not one to say we will reach this position but definitely the way the team is shaping there is no doubt that this team is capable of improving on their performance in the 2013 Junior World Cup,” he sounds cautiously optimistic even he was watching the semifinal of the Nehru Hockey Tournament in New Delhi. “I enjoy watching matches and watching the Nehru Hockey Tournament gives me an opportunity to scout for new young talents,” he signs off.