Hockey: India
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INDIA’S TRYST WITH FOREIGN COACHES
V Narayan Swamy I TNN
Gerard Rach
First-ever foreign coach of the Indian hockey team. Took over in 2004 just before the start of the Athens Olympics. Was at the helm for a few months before tendering his resignation to join the Egyptian national team
Ric Charlesworth
Joined Indian hockey as a technical advisor in late 2007 before quitting after just seven months
Jose Brasa
Was appointed in May 2009 and removed after the 2010 Asiad. Brasa was replaced by Nobbs
Michael Nobbs
Nobbs was appointed in June 2011 and offered a five-year contract. However, the Australian lasted just two years
INDIA UNDER chief hockey coach Michael NOBBS
June 2011: Joined as chief coach of the hockey team
Sept 2011: India won first tournament under Nobbs: 1st Asian Champions Trophy
Oct 2011: India failed to win a single match in a double-leg, three nation tournament in Australia
Nov 2011: India finished second in the Champions Challenge
Jan 2012: India won 3-1 a five-match series against SA
Feb 2012: Qualified for London Olympics, winning the qualifiers in Delhi
May 2012: Finished last in 4-nation meet in London
May 2012: Won bronze in the Azlan Shah Cup
July 2012: Finished last in the London Olympics
Dec 2012: Came fourth in the Champions Trophy
Dec 2012: Lost to Pakistan in Asian Champions Trophy final
Feb 2013: Won Hockey World League Round 2
Mar 2013: Finished fifth in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
June 2013: Finished sixth in the World League (semis). The top three teams qualified for the World Cup
July 2013: Nobbs served termination notice. He says he resigned due to poor health.
India and Pakistan: Asian Games
FIGHT OF ASIA
The Times of India Stats: BG Joshi
India and Pakistan have ruled the Asian Games hockey stage for a long time.South Korea may have made an impact since the 1980s but the game's fortunes at the Asiad have revolved largely around the subcontinental giants.Pakistan have a big edge over India in terms of wins and goals but India have had their moments too. TOI captures the top five matches the two teams have figured in at the Asian Games....
1958 Pakistan: gold, India: silver
1962 Pakistan: gold, India: silver
1966 (TOKYO) FINAL: INDIA 1 BT PAKISTAN 0.
After settling for silver in 1958 and 1962, India were on a high in Tokyo 1966, having won the Olympic gold defeating Pakistan in the same city two years earlier. Led by goalkeeper Shankar Laxman, the team began shakily in the final, especially after dashing right winger Balbir Singh was injured and had to be stretchered off. A defensive India held on until the second half of extra time with 10 men -there were no substitutions then -before Balbir was persuaded to take the field . He scored the match-winner with three minutes remaining.
1974 (TEHRAN) LEAGUE: INDIA 1 DREW WITH PAKISTAN 1
It was a typical IndiaPakistan final yet again in 1974 which Pakistan won 2-0 but the league match is remembered more for the way the Indians fought back in the second half to troop out with their honour intact. Goalkeeper Leslie Fernandes spared India's blushes initially, saving Akhtar Rasool's penalty stroke as well as a few attempts at the goal. But Rasool was not to be denied. He gave Pakistan the lead.India struck in the second when Ashok Kumar's fetched them a stroke which Ajit Pal Singh converted in the 52nd minute.
1982 (NEW DELHI) FINAL: PAKISTAN 7 BT INDIA 1
The match that India would love to forget is also remembered for the world-class forwardline that Pakistan had.Spearheaded by Kalimullah and Hanif Khan, they dismantled India with three goals in the first half and four in the second. An injured Rajinder Singh in the defence did not help matters, leaving goalkeeper Mir Ranjan Negi to weather the assault. While it irreparably damaged the reputation of the Indian hockey team, it only reinforced Pakistan's supremacy in the early 80s.
2002 (BUSAN) SEMIFINAL: INDIA 4 BT PAKISTAN 3
It was a battle of India's frontline and Pakistan's prolific drag-flicker Sohail Abbas. A stirring match that is remembered as much for mercurial striker Dhanraj Pillay's flair and Gagan Ajit Singh's mercurial ways.Dhanraj put India ahead 2-0 before Sohail nullified the lead with his missiles. Baljit Dhillon gave India the lead again but Shabbir Hussain restored parity. In a stirring battle towards the end, Gagan fetched India the winner with 69 seconds to go, scoring off a superb pass from Dhanraj Pillay.
2010 (GUANGZHOU) LEAGUE: INDIA 3 BT PAKISTAN 2
It was a year when India had a sterling record against Pakistan, right from the time they beat them at the New Delhi World Cup. Jose Brasa's famous passback technique and the elaborate build-up during attack frustrated Pakistan no end.Sandeep Singh was at his fluent best fetching two goals while Dharamvir scored the other. Pakistan's Shakeel Abbasi and Rehan Butt were on target but the Indian defence held on.But Pakistan went on to win the gold and India secured bronze is a different story altogether.
2014: Watershed year
Dec 27 2014
A YEAR OF DEVELOPMENT FOR INDIAN HOCKEY
Abhishek Purohit
Indian men's hockey took giant strides towards reclaiming its long-lost numero uno position with an Asian Games gold, after a 16year drought, and several memorable victories, but the momentum was marred by an untimely and poorly handled resignation of chief coach Terry Walsh. There was a gloomy start to the year due to the men's junior team's poor World Cup performance, in December 2013, finishing sixth in the eightnation Hockey World League (HWL) Final held here.
The players visibly looked out of sorts in the first competition under coach Walsh and it was apparent they would take time to settle down under the Australian. The only positive point in the tournament was a 5-4 victory over a depleted German team.
Most of the players plied their trade in the Hockey India League (HIL), which was eventually won by Sardar Singh-led Delhi Waveriders. Though Punjab Warriors impressed most with an attractive attacking play, the Delhi team pipped them via penalty shoot-out in the summit clash. For Delhi, drag-flicker Rupinderpal Singh and young striker Akashdeep Singh played crucial roles.The Indian team later went to the Netherlands for a warm-up tour ahead of the World Cup.They floundered in most of the matches against a developmental Dutch side, which was enough to demoralise the team.
Walsh worked intensely on the fitness of the players and also sharpened their basic skills going into the World Cup, where they showed enough signs of improvement. However, results continued to elude the team. They suffered losses due to lastgasp goals in the matches against Belgium and England. A timid draw against Spain and a 0-4 drubbing against the eventual champions Australia disappointed everyone. However, they beat South Korea 3-0 to finish ninth.
With their capability in question, the team went to the Commonwealth Games with Walsh proclaiming “improvement“ as his only aim. Their most impressive show came against New Zealand in the semifinal.Despite Sardar sitting out of the match, the young team came from two goals behind to stun the Black Sticks to enter the final. Australia put up another creditable show to beat India in the two teams' second consecutive CWG summit clash.
Neil Hawgood-coached women's team finished fifth in the tournament.The Ritu Rani-led team improved under the Australian's guidance but couldn't bridge the gap between the top teams, which resulted in a mutual separation with Hawgood at the year-end.
Further disappointments were in store for Indian hockey as no player was selected for the Arjuna Award, prompting a prolonged war of words between Hockey India (HI) president Narinder Batra and the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
However, the Indian men's team continued its upward journey and Walsh's firm focus on fitness and ball control started to bring the desired results.
They got a long-awaited result at the Asian Games in Incheon, withstanding the pressure exerted by hosts South Korea in the semifinal before quelling Pakistan's challenge in the final to bag the first Asiad gold since 1996.
The success also made them the first team to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The Indian women's team also featured on the podium, finishing third.
Building on the Incheon success, the team prevailed 3-1 over a weakened Australia in a rare series triumph Down Under.
After being thrashed severely in the first match, the team turned the tables, which also gave a glimpse of their mental resoluteness. Goalkeeper P.R.Sreejesh's improvement and consistency helped India overcome many challenges, making him the most stand-out player of the season.
Meanwhile, the Indian Under-21 team also successfully defended the Sultan of Johor Cup title which also made the year more special and memorable for hockey fans.
But the mood was soured by the resignation of Walsh, who demanded an improved contract that would give him better functional autonomy in team's decision-making, most notably in selecting the players.
Despite valiant efforts by Sports Minister Sarabananda Sonowal and the SAI, Walsh didn't agree to continue. He was also not happy with Batra rekindling his alleged financial irregularities during his tenure with US Hockey. ThIs departed India's fourth foreign coach.
The Indian team did try to get over from the controversy but their Champions Trophy performance was inconsistent.
