Opinion Baskarans reverse flick
One of the contributing reasons for Indian hockeys fall from grace has been the attitude of its egoistical former players.
Soon after being appointed as chief coach Terry Walshs assistant,Vasudevan Baskaran assured egos will be kept aside. I will do as instructed by Terry, he said. The 63-year-old Olympic gold medallist,who has previously served as the head coach of the national team,said that without any hint of sarcasm knowing fully well how much it has cost Indian hockey in the past.
One of the contributing reasons for Indian hockeys fall from grace has been the attitude of its egoistical former players. Too often,they indulged in bringing down their own colleagues as well as creating hurdles for the foreign coaches working in the country.
Former India coach Jose Brasa has some classic tales of how some of his assistants strived to create a divided team,while others mocked him.
Others,including Baskaran,have trashed the idea of employing foreign coaches for the national team. After all,India was the country that showed the world how to play hockey; at least,according to them. Living in this bubble of their own,they never felt the need of understanding modern hockey,barring a few exceptions. So for Baskaran and Kaushik,who have been as successful players as Walsh,to agree to assist their contemporary is a sign of changing mindset as well as realisation that they need to learn the nuances of the modern game from foreign experts.
The association between Baskaran and Walsh goes back a long way. The duo battled against each other during their playing days: Walsh a prolific striker for Australia and Baskaran a strong,intelligent defender. At the Sydney Olympics in 2000,they renewed their battle at the touchline: Baskaran as Indias chief coach and Walsh as Australias.
Now,13 years later they are on the same side. And though being Walshs assistant may be seen as a step down for the Indian,as it was seen for Kaushik as well,he sees it the other way.
The prospect of Walsh working with Baskaran and Kaushik is indeed mouthwatering. Together with high performance director Roelant Oltmans,it is a dream coaching set-up. But as Baskaran pointed out,with so many high-profile names working together,egos will have to be kept aside for it to be successful.
(Mihir is a senior correspondent,based in Mumbai.)
mihir.vasavda@expressindia.com
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