Former Indian hockey goalkeeper Mir Ranjan Negi was recently appointed goalkeeping coach for the Indian team currently training here for the Athens Olympics in August. As the 45-year-old Mumbaikar tells The Sunday Express, he is currently busy preparing a strategy plan for the team, including via a computer software specially made for the goalkeepers.
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What is this software all about?
I am getting it prepared from a New Delhi computer software firm and it should be ready soon. It will display all the saves and mistakes they make during international matches in the last few years. The data and video analyses will be done very differently and professionally and it will also have a few 3-D animation clips.
Where are we falling short at the moment?
Defending penalty corners is our biggest weakness. Also, now that Jugraj Singh is injured, we don’t have a good first rusher.
Who is the best goalkeeper at the moment?
Most of them are quite talented. Adrian D’Souza and Suraj Kantha have performed well of late and so has Kamaldeep. However, Devesh Chauhan remains our trump card for the Olympics. He has done really well in the last few seasons.
What are your other strategies?
In terms of working out, our goalkeepers were earlier doing only 70 to 80 per cent of what the rest of the team was doing. I am gradually increasing their fitness level so that they peak around August. We have introduced some special drills for them.