145;PHL teams not balanced146;

Indian hockey has won accolades from the world over for the sheer joy it provides to the crowd. But Spanish player Juan Escarre, who led his...

Indian hockey has won accolades from the world over for the sheer joy it provides to the crowd. But Spanish player Juan Escarre, who led his national side to its first ever major international hockey title at the Champions Trophy held in Pakistan last December, says the Indian style is redundant in the current era.

Escarre, who is in the city to take part in the Premier Hockey League, said, 8216;8216;I agree that the style of Indian hockey was one of the greatest in the world. But that was about three decades ago. Now the game had changed completely.8217;8217;

He added, 8216;8216;what matters today is speed and that8217;s what is lacking with India and Pakistan teams. These teams are still living in the past and unless they say 8216;time-out8217; to this style, they cannot cope with the European sides.8217;8217;

He agreed that all the European teams tried to emulate the Indian side who dominated the game in the past. 8216;8216;But now there is a lot that India should learn from us,8217;8217; he said.

Escarre, a known critic of the Indian system, says the Indian style kills the flow of the game and the enthusiasm of the players who move fast on the turf.

Expressing his joy on winning their maiden Champions Trophy title, Escarre said, 8216;8216;it was a dream come true for Spain as a whole. But that didn8217;t happen overnight. We had adapted to the current style and played as a team, which is the secret of our success.8217;8217;

He was even critical about the Indian team which he felt never played as a collective team.

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Commenting on the Premier Hockey League, Escarre said, 8216;8216;it is a very good idea with some of the best players in the world taking part in the tournament. The entire world would be watching the proceedings here.8217;8217;

But he quickly said, 8216;8216;the teams taking part are not balanced in their strengths. While, Hyderabad Sultans has four best players in their ranks, Chennai Veerans the team which Escarre represents doesn8217;t even have an international forward.8217;8217;