Defensive problems for Team India

It will be a difficult task for Coach Nobbs to select an 18 men team for the Olympics Qualifiers as there are a myriad of options for him to choose from. However, the Indian hockey team do not have a whole lot to choose from in terms of defending options.

For the past two years, our best defender has been a ‘midfielder’, Sardara Singh, which gives us a fair indication of where India’s problems lie. India have a few decent defenders but they are unable to reach the standard set by Sardar Singh. Since the retirement of Dilip Tirkey in mid 2010, the Indian team are yet to find an ideal replacement. Our current crop of defenders are not good enough to guarantee success in the Olympic qualifiers.

One of the most important players in the team and India’s most experienced defender, Sandeep Singh, has great expertise in penalty corner conversions, although he can be shaky at times! Sandeep made his debut for the senior team in 2004. His skills at taking penalty corners have greatly improved since then, but as far as his defensive skills go, they are found wanting. His inconsistencies in the defense area have cost the Indian team quite a few games in the past. Due to his vast experience, he should have been the wall of Indian defense, but due to his costly mistakes, even the coaches thought twice before putting him on the field. In the past one year, Sandeep hasn’t got enough opportunities to prove his worth.

Another penalty corner expert and defender, Rupinder Pal Singh, one of the probables for the Olympic qualifiers, is prone to making mistakes too. Rupinder made a dream debut in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2010, where he was the top goal scorer and one of the most promising defenders. However, by 2011, he started making the same mistakes like the other Indian defenders and gave the ball away to the opposition on more than one occasion. He’s still young and has a lot of time to improve but mistakes like these can cost India another Olympics berth. For now, Rupinder Pal Singh is likely to make it to the final 18, due to the lack of options, but he’s certainly not the best candidate for the Indian team.

VR Raghunath is the most improved among the three. His penalty corner skills as well as defending skills have improved but he needs to work harder to reach the level of Dilip Tirkey and Pargat Singh. He has played well since his return but his agility and decision making is a cause for concern. His performance against South Africa was unimpressive . His costly mistakes and sending offs have caused many problems for the Indian team.

Along with the above mentioned players, the probables list includes inexperienced players like Harbir Singh, Gurjinder Singh and Manpreet Kullu. Harbir Singh and Gurjinder Singh have impressed Coach Nobbs but their inexperience in the international level might work against them. Both the players need to be tried at the international level before selecting them in the team. If Michael Nobbs opts for youth, Manpreet Kullu is the only option. Manpreet has been with the Indian team for the past one year but he lacks quality time on the field.

The above six probables show the grim picture of the Indian defense and with these options, we might be able to do well in the Olympics Qualifers but in the long term, these players wont be able to save India the blushes. Interestingly, out of the six probables, three of the experienced ones are penalty corner specialists for India. What is the criteria for selecting defenders in Indian hockey? It looks like Hockey India is only interested in breeding penalty corner experts rather than developing defenders who can perform well against the opposition.