Prabhjot speaks out

After a disappointing performance on-field, the Indian hockey team is now in the midst of a crisis off the field at Athens. The series of lo...

After a disappointing performance on-field, the Indian hockey team is now in the midst of a crisis off the field at Athens. The series of losses has caused the players to speak openly against chief coach Gerhard Rach.

While Dhanraj Pillay has been critical of Rach since the opening match, striker Prabhjot Singh has also joined the chorus, condemning the coach and accusing him of being biased against him. ‘‘He has been against me since the camp in Germany, and he is not giving me enough playing time,’’ striker Prabhjot said ahead of India’s last league match against Argentina on Monday. Prabhjot also accused Rach of arbitrarily changing player positions and trying to change the playing style of the team.

But former Indian greats agree only partially with Prabhjot. ‘‘Yes, the players are playing out of their normal positions, but if they have had these problems with the coach for so long, why did they keep quiet all these days?’’ questioned Ashok Kumar, former Indian captain and the legendary Dhyanchand’s son.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Kumar added, ‘‘As long as things were going okay, no one spoke up. Now that the team is losing, all the rifts are coming out in the open. Even if there is a problem, it is the duty of the management to sort it out.’’ Former India coach Harendra Singh — sacked in June this year after the team finished fourth at the Four Nations’ meet in Holland — agreed with Kumar’s observations, but refused to add to it. As for the team’s poor show, Harendra said that the team was not playing as a unit, and they needed to play more to their strengths.

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