Won’t become nat’l coach due to my straightforwardness: Pillay

Pillay’s first assignment as a coach came last year when he took charge with Air India and his stint so far has been successful. This year,Air India have been the team to beat on the domestic circuit. They have won almost every title on offer in the first half of the season,culminating with the first-ever national championship. “Winning a title as a coach feels the same as I did when I was a player. It feels nice,it shows that you’re moving in the right direction. But without players,the team or coach cannot do anything. So I attribute this to the players more than me,” he says.

It amuses you when Pillay talks in such a measured tone about coaching considering he has been the one who has always been the ‘outspoken one’ of Indian hockey. Pillay has played under 30 coaches approximately in his career that has spanned over two decades and has had run-ins with several of them. Those experiences,he says,have helped him understand his new role better. “Whenever there was injustice,I have pointed it out. The most important thing is to keep players’ interest in mind. I have gone through many things in my career and I don’t want my players to suffer now,” he says. “I have played approximately under 30 coaches in my career. Some have been good,some not so good. But I had only one coach who gave freedom and voice to all the players and that is M K Kaushik. Under him,the dressing room atmosphere was very good and it reflected on the field when we won the 1998 Asian Games gold. He has been an inspiration for me as far as coaching is concerned.”

Among many things that he has picked up from his mentors,Pillay feels there are two main factors to make the team a strong unit: allow the players to have a say in the scheme of things and ensure they enjoy the game. “I take players’ opinion for any decision that has to be taken. For example,we had Arjun Halappa as our captain last season. I feel it’s necessary to rotate captains every year. So,I took view of the rest of the players on who the next captain should be and all of us decided that Prabodh Tirkey would be a good option. There is a democratic process,” he explains.

Pillay says he doesn’t really depend solely on video analysis or any of the modern technology. “I try to impart whatever I have learnt from my coaches. I don’t need video analysis or laptops to tell me how much a player can run or what he is capable of. I have learnt many things from my coaches and I will replicate those key aspects of the game into my coaching,” he says.

One thing,he assures,that will never occur in his team is injustice to any player. Perhaps the wounds from his playing days are yet to be healed. Pillay,who believes to have been at the wrong end of several decisions taken by the coaches and the team management when he was an active player,says he will always treat the players equally. He cites the example of goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza,who despite being the best custodian at the nationals continues to be ignored for the national team. “Each of them are important to me. You can see that in my team… Adrian D’Souza is still the best in the goal. He allowed least number of goals in the championships along with Gurpreet (Singh,Air India’s second goalkeeper) and yet,he continues to be sidelined when it comes to the national team. Same is the case with Arjun Halappa,Sameer Dad,Prabodh Tirkey…”

There is a sense of bitterness when he talks on this issue. There’s still an unfinished business. Pillay was in the fray for becoming the national coach two years ago and was even interviewed by Hockey India for the post before they eventually appointed Australian Michael Nobbs. Pillay,though,still hasn’t given up hope. “If past is any kind of a precedent,I should be in the national coaching fold. There has been a tradition that whichever coach wins the national championship,he will be inducted into either the senior or junior national teams as a coach. Even the current junior coach Baljit Singh Saini was elevated to the post after he guided Punjab to the national title last year. So ideally,I should be there,” he says.

And almost in same breath,he plays down his chances. “Unfortunately,owing to my straightforward nature and bitterness with Hockey India,I know I will never be made the coach. It’s very disappointing but I can’t change who I am just to please a few men and climb up the ladder.”

Foreign coaches,he says,isn’t the answer to India’s woes. “Today,we have a foreigner at every important position. We are a country that has produced legends Dhyan Chand and Roop Singh to modern-day greats such as Baljit Dhillon and Pargat Singh. We have enough knowledgeable men in the country who can perform this task better. Let’s not forget our results were much better and performances more consistent till 2004,when we had Indian coaches. It’s only after we began our experiment with foreigners that the graph started falling,” he points out.