The mosquitoes at Nehru Stadium unnerved Ric Charlesworth a bit, and every now and then, he drifted from discussing hockey to ask whether they were the malaria-carrying type.It took a lot of coaxing and reassuring to convince him that they may not be all that dangerous and only then did he return to talking hockey.For the former Australian international, his job as technical director for Indian hockey may be just as tough as his stay in the country. “I just don’t like it when these critters bite into me,” he said.Charlesworth is in the Capital on a three-day visit to discuss his role as the new technical director of Indian hockey, though he has yet to sign his contract.“I just had a meeting with the members of the Indian Hockey Federation and the Indian Women’s Hockey Federation. Bob Davidzon of the FIH was also present in the meeting. We haven’t discussed all the details but there has been great progress,” he said.Charlesworth is a legend in his own right and his stint with the Australian women’s hockey team did wonders for the side. “I think the main thing that is bothering Indian hockey is lack of consistency. It’s good that they are winning, but it has to be more often and against bigger sides,” Charlesworth told The Indian Express.He is currently the high performance manager in New Zealand Cricket. That meant he looked after mostly all programmes that took place there. “I was in charge of everything—from the junior cricket programmes to the senior team. My job was to see that the performance of the team was at its best and if there were any problems, then it was my job to tackle them—a sort of damage control role.”He said that his role would be similar in Indian hockey, and in fact he would look after both the men’s and the women’s teams. He would also be involved in the junior programmes.“I will also be working at the grassroot level because that’s more important. Whatever is done it should be for a long term and not just for a brief time. And trust me, I have no bag of tricks. The best players in the world are those who not only stick to the basics but do those basics in the best possible way.”He used the New Zealand team as an example stating that while they were good at fitness and fielding, they were never at the top on skill and performance.“They were also good, but never the best. For that, you have to want to achieve and maybe that’s what is missing in Indian hockey too. But it would be too early to say that. I need to look at the teams and see my responsibilities.”He was delighted that the World Cup was awarded to India and said that it was very important for hockey that India is able to host it.Members of the IHF and IWHF stated that they are still figuring out the many clauses of his contract. “Lets see. He is here and that is a positive step. We hope that good comes out from his visit,” said an IWHF official.
