Caution: Bumps around the corner

As the Indian squad returned home late on Monday night 8212; to a surprisingly lukewarm welcome 8212; having finished second in the tournament on Sunday, there is again the inevitable talk of things getting back on track for good. But will they really? It8217;s true that the circumstances under which the team performed this time around were vastly different 8212; and a lot more difficult 8212; but this is a tournament where India have always flattered to deceive, and several experts feel it would be jumping the gun to hail the victory as Indian hockey8217;s dramatic comeback.

One step a time

8220;Let8217;s remember that such tournaments are not the target. I8217;m not saying they don8217;t matter but we should learn to take them for what they are 8212; preparatory events, not achievements,8221; says Olympian Jagbir Singh, who was part of the 1995 squad when India last won the Azlan Shah tournament.

8220;Being a young team, and coming in the midst of all the off-field controversies, this performance will definitely give the youngsters confidence for further tournaments 8212; the junior Asia Cup and World Cup. We should stop celebrating wins in small battles and concentrate on winning the wars,8221; he adds.

Jagbir may have a point. At the same time, however, it is encouraging that this Indian team was the youngest and the least experienced in the tournament. 8220;This can be considered a revival, in so much that it will lead the players to believe in themselves despite all the controversies. With no uncertainty to their position in the team, the players were free to concentrate on their game. The result is evident,8221; said Aslam Sher Khan, who is the chairman of the new selection committee appointed by the IOA.

But he, too, makes a valid argument. Uncertainty has been one of the keys to India8217;s failure.

Only striker Shivendra Singh has played in the last three editions of Azlan Shah; only six players from the 2006 squad were retained in 2007; and, just four from last year played this time around.

What attitude?

The most commonly touted 8212; and some say convenient 8212; reason for dropping players over the last decade was their 8220;bad attitude8221;. It kept Sandeep Singh out of the side for almost a year, and it forced players such as Gagan Ajit Singh, Deepak Thakur and Arjun Halappa to fade out in their prime.

Jagbir, who has worked with all these players, says the IHF often mistook 8220;attitude8221; for arrogance. 8220;Only a player who is confident of his abilities will have some attitude. That doesn8217;t mean he is arrogant. India should not have lost players on such flimsy grounds. We don8217;t have an assembly line any more.8221;

Supporting role

Some credit for the performance in Malaysia must go to coach AK Bansal and the team8217;s think-tank, especially considering the IOA vs IHF drama that went on right till the start of the first game.

It was up to Bansal and technical consultant Ric Charlesworth, who was doubling up as a video analyst, to keep the players insulated from the happenings back home.

Aslam is quick to say the juniors will not be given a regular role in the senior team despite their performance. 8220;Most of the boys were from the junior side, and the coach had been working with them for a while. We don8217;t want to meddle with the grooming process and rush neither the players nor the coach into the senior side, just on the basis of one tournament,8221; he says.

Jagbir agrees. 8220;Juniors should first be groomed and then used in the senior side only on a need basis. We took a predominantly junior side to Athens and failed. The progress has to be well-planned.8221;

This may or may not be Indian hockey8217;s grand revival, but what is certain is that the performance has proved that, given the right atmosphere and the kind of support a team has, Indian hockey could still set its house in order.