Interview: You cannot win if you are scared of losing - Mir Ranjan Negi
Asian games, South Korea, 2014, in all humility must be considered as a humble beginning for the Indian Hockey as it journeys ahead towards reaching its impeccable past. A gold medal at the Asian games against arch-rivals Pakistan is nothing but an icing on the cake. Sardar and his men came good in all strides and force with his boys giving that much-needed confidence. Custodian in charge, Sreejesh ensured that the ball did not peep through his stoic defence. With a few notable events and the Olympics fast approaching , we at Sportskeeda caught up, a hero of the past Mir Ranjan Negi. Below are his views on the present, past and future of Indian Hockey.
Firstly, many congratulations on India winning the Gold at Asian Games, a few days back. Yours is a tale from obscurity to eminence. For letting in 7 goals on that lousy evening in Delhi to have stood on the podium as a coach in 1998 and 2002 with the men’s and women’s teams, you have lived it all.
1) How commendable is this gold medal for Indian Men’s Hockey?
The Indian team like a blue eyed child got all the facilities from Hockey India and the government, and it raised any expectations laid upon us. But, the team did not play superlative game. With a loss against Pakistan and notable wins against China and Korea, we entered finals. We started the final on a sluggish note. The game got going really for us only after the commencement of the third quarter. With Imran Bhutt in Pakistan goal, even Pakistan was confident as he had stood as the wall of Gibraltar against Malaysia in the semifinals in tie-breaker which they won.
Finally, the clash for the Titans was between Sreejesh from India and Imran. Looking at the way tie breaker was executed, I can say without an aorta of doubt that India was more prepared and showed more maturity and expertise to defeat Pakistan to clinch the finals. The win though came as a fresh breeze providing new life to Indian Hockey.
2) This gold medal comes after a hiatus of 16 years. What do you think were the areas where the team as a whole developed?
Let us be practical. The overall standard of hockey in Asia has declined. We could not score a single direct penalty corner in the World Cup. Even against tough opponents, our PC conversion is not up to the mark. Trapping and holding on to the ball too long has still been our age old problem,
The story of our win does not end here. In fact, it begins from here. The only question everyone asking now is how India is going to redeem its position at the Olympics against the formidable tough opponents ie Australia, Holland, Germany, Span and Argentina etc. We will be exposed to the fullest unless we do a miracle in the approach, which we are capable of.
3) You faced a lot of ignominy during the penalty shootout of the 1982 Asian Games. What were you going through when Sreejesh kept the ball at bay during the penalty shootout in the final this time around?
Sreejesh has developed himself into a fantastic goalkeeper for India. His smiles under the bar show his cool and confident mind. His growth from the time I saw him in the first HIL till date has been phenomenal. He truly was the hero of the tournament and it was like he took the revenge for my humiliating 1982 Asian Games defeat at the hands of Pakistan. He and the entire team need to be nurtured well in future.
4) There’s been a lot of talk on the confidence levels of our lads. Do you think they showed an improvement and do you think the Indian hockey chalked out a new plan after its wooden spoon at the London Olympic games, 2012?
Confidence comes from experience and wins. This team though tasted its first major win will be going to Rio with more composure and focus.
I do not have much faith in foreign coaches, but I have faith in my players. Each player of our team is capable of changing the complexion of any match. No one is scared of big matches and have some great skills to match other world class palyers. All they need to do is to keep their focus. I am not against foreign coaches and their approach, but my heart says, it is the hard work of M K Kaushik and Jude Menezes, our Indian coaches who had gone with the team that has given the result. I have not seen English Premier league coaches Arsene Wenger from Arsenal, Jose Mourinho from Chelsea or Brenden Rogers from Liverpool using with high fi software and gadgets on the ground, but they deliver. Why?
The reason is simple. They have terrific reading of the game which ultimately counts. Paperwork and software helps to certain extent, but it is the duty of the coaches to take out the best from their players and come out with some disaster management skills on the ground which I still feel our Indian coaches are best at. Keep foreign coaches for the junior national teams. Let us built a strong foundation and the right age to mould our hockey players is juniors.
Tell me how Terry Walsh or Altmans can coach one of the best players of the game Sardar Singh. We have to work on the winning skills and on forgotten basics like trapping and counter attacks and Penalty corner conversions which is still a very weak department of Indian Hockey team and see how we fare.
I suppose, we are developing some inferiority complex against foreigners. They work hard and fare, India is one country where players come from different castes with different background, languages, cultures and eating habits have to be dealt differently. To make them into a winning combination is no mean task. But then they are all like the different spices which provide a dish a different zing. Our dish is tasty and a super duper hit. All we want is someone to know exactly how much each ingredient is required to be used.
5) We are very happy for the success of your Abhi Foundation. What plans are going to be put up in times ahead and what areas are you firmly concentrating on in nurturing the young talent?
My Foundation is in its seventh year now. In a nation where sports is not being given its due, its hard to garnish support for promoting sports. Still we have about 400 children and a team of dedicated coaches who are trying to make a difference in the society in our own humble way. 12 of our girls played for the Mumbai University and all these girls came from Municipal Schools. One girl played for the State team. Salaam Bombay Foundation, Tata Power and United Phosphorus help us in running our various academies at different venues. This year we are going to take our activities to another level by being more professional in our approach.
6) There’s always a talk about the levels of being match-fit. Do you think this would be an area of concern when we tackle the big giants of muscle from Europe?
With the new rule of four quarters in hockey, the fitness levels are not an issue anymore. Speed and power make the most crucial factors of the game. Team needs to work on more of winning skills. Missing sitters like the ones in the Asian Games will be disastrous in the Olympics.
7) What is the most important thing you've learned in your life as a goalkeeper?
Each and every goal in hockey can be saved. One must have his basics strong to play any game, whether it is hockey or golf or tennis. The weight on legs during each action in sports is so crucial that many times make all the difference. The goalkeeper needs to be exceptionally cool and confident under the bar. Many a time, especially like in tie barker, it is the mental strength of goalkeeper against the attacker that becomes the reason between victory and defeat.
8) Lastly, we have secured a berth at the Rio Olympics 2016. What are your thoughts on this feat and what advice would you like to give to our players as they start their preparations for the Olympics?
The team needs to relax a lot. Players like Sardara Singh are overly used by the coaches. He plays the entire game in almost all the matches. The performance shows it all. All midfielders should play like Gurbaj who helps a lot during attack more so when he takes calculated risks, dodges defenders, makes place for other forwards. Please don't play safe hockey. If you are scared of losing, you are not bound to win. Go out and enjoy the beautiful sport of hockey on the ground. There is none who cannot be defeated. All one needs is a commitment and hard work and perseverance.