x3

India

Stunned by a series of reverses, India's hockey coach Rajinder Singh Junior is now desperately awaiting the comeback of penalty corner expert Jugraj Singh whose presence, he said, would give the much-needed "morale boost" to the beleaguered team.

Jugraj Singh has been out of international action for more than two years after he was involved in a near fatal road accident and India have been struggling to find a suitable replacement for the drag flicker since then.

"I would be happiest person if Jugraj Singh, who has been called for the national camp starting tomorrow, is able to play for the team at this crucial juncture," the coach told PTI here today.

"His presence would give a huge morale boost to the team," said Rajinder Singh, who took over the reins from India's only foreign coach Gerhard Rach this year.

India have had a dismal run in international tourneys since winning the Asia Cup hockey tournament in Malaysia in 2003. The plight of the team was recently highlighted in the eight-nation Rabo Trophy tournament in Holland where it finished seventh. The coach admitted that the team had performed "below par" in the tournament but said his wards did not play "that bad" as the margins of defeat had been quite narrow.

"I think we did not play that bad. We simply failed to translate chances that came our way into goals. Every time, we missed it was, by a whisker. I think this was better than losing by four-five goals." "We will try to iron out the weaknesses in the camp. All our drawbacks will be taken care of in the camp," he said.

The coach also sought to downplay his earlier comments wherein he had blamed the "big headed seniors" for the team's debacles in Holland.

Refusing to single out any player for the team's failure, he said, "whoever does not play well will have to go irrespective of the fact whether he is senior or junior." The coach was, however, optimistic of the team regrouping in time for the Champions Trophy slated for December 8-18.

"We may have fared badly recently but I feel the team will get back to its winning ways soon. We have to rectify the mistakes in the camp and I'm hopeful that we will do well in the Champions Trophy," said Rajinder who was selected for the Dhyan Chand award today.

The coach refused to answer any controversial question, saying he had been "restrained" from talking to the media on sensitive issues.

Rate This Article

Select Here  5 Stars  (Best Rating)   4 Stars   3 Stars   2 Stars   1 Star  (Worst Rating)

Your opinion counts.
Rate this article or enter your comments below.