'I intend to take India to Beijing'

Indian Hockey is looking towards its new coach, Joachim Carvalho, to revive its flagging fortunes and turn the tide.

There is no denying that the job of the Indian hockey coach is one of the most difficult ones in Indian sport "" yes, yes, South Asian cricket included! One look at the number of coaches we have brought in and shipped out on a regular basis, and you have a fair idea of the rigours this entails.

While the shadows of the fading legacy of our national sport loom large, the coach has to cope with often unrealistic pressures from the much maligned Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), which is notorious for changing coaches at will, and with the expectations of a declining yet still-considerable fan base.

But the latest in this line-up is a confident man who hopes to overcome the challenges that lie ahead. Joachim Carvalho has been assigned the task of reviving the lost glory of Indian hockey.

Says Carvalho, "It is a daunting task, but I am honoured to take on the post of the Indian hockey coach." Yet, when it first came his way, he did not jump at the offer. "I thought of the challenges and the problems that might arise, but after discussing it with colleagues and giving it a lot of thought, I decided to accept the challenge."

Carvalho is no novice when it comes to coaching. The former Olympian who represented India in the 1988 Seoul Olympics has been a coach for several years and led the Indian Oil Corporation team to frequent glories in domestic hockey.

But wasn't he aware of how coaches are treated in Indian hockey? One defeat at a major competition and chances are you might be hunting for a new job. "I know what lies ahead of me is one of the toughest assignments, but given the right support I am confident of doing my best for the team and the game."

Carvalho points out that, unlike previous coaches who had the luxury of having qualified for the Olympics, he has a mammoth task on hand. India's recent debacles have ensured that we will have to take the tough route to make it to Beijing in 2008 by playing the qualifiers.

These have included a disastrous performance and eighth-placed finish at the Doha Asiad, once considered a sure-shot medal, and losing out to minnows China (the "minnow" word seems to be haunting Indian sport lately!). Nor are these the only disasters that have visited Indian hockey in the recent past. We finished eleventh in the last World Cup and have been consistently poor.

"The main problem is that any defeat has a very demoralising effect on the boys. The ideas imparted to them aren't implemented in the right way." How does he plan to overcome this problem? Through meticulous planning and ensuring that these are implemented in the right way, he says.

Talent, according to him, is not a problem as of now, a view shared by hockey analyst B David. David, who has been studying Indian hockey for 18 years, tells us of a recent conversation with one of the brightest players in world hockey, Pakistan's Rehan Butt, who was impressed with the talent pool he saw at the recently concluded PHL. "He told me that it looks like we have eight to 10 players for each position."

But why aren't we able to perform well? "Modern hockey has changed a lot tactically. While Indians are renowned for their skills, other teams have adapted to the changes and pay more attention to ball possession," adds David.

That's an area where Carvalho aims to make massive improvement, since he too agrees that tactically India need to move ahead. "That is one area we need to improve a lot and we would be paying a lot of attention to it in the upcoming matches."

Ask him about media reports of him being an "interim" coach till the IHF zeroes down on a foreign coach, and he is unambiguous: "I am open to the idea of working with a foreign consultant or an advisor as they can help in improving us tactically."

IHF had appointed a foreign coach three years ago when Gerhard Rach took over the reins of Indian hockey, but the idea failed to materialise.

"We know foreign coaches find it tough coaching in the sub-continent "" and not only in hockey," he chuckles. But the idea of being an interim coach is something he refutes. "I am not here for helping us qualify for the Olympics and then offering the berth on a platter to someone else.

I intend to take India to Beijing." Strong words, indeed. Let's hope his actions prove just as strong...