Hockey India’s, HockeyIndia.org, move of recruiting Maharaj Krishan Kaushik as assistant to Michael Nobbs, the chief coach, indicates that something is wrong.
Hockey India has learned the European style of playing from Jose Brasa, the former coach, but oscillates between the European style and the attacking style. Ever since the past two years, the team has been trying to make a mark in international hockey.
Nobbs, who has been struggling to get the team to use a proper system, hasn’t been that successful and the federation’s move of appointing Kaushik as his assistant shows that it is not that happy with the Australian coach.
Speaking about the federation’s decision to appoint Kaushik, Roelant Oltmans, the high performance director, said that the team badly requires changes. Stating that the team needs an experienced person, he said that Kaushik has already proved several times in the past that he is good.
Reliable sources say that Nobbs was being watched ever since the London Olympics 2012, where the Indian hockey team finished last. The players haven’t been satisfied with the confusing system he has introduced.
Zafar Iqbal, the former skipper, said that Hockey India decided to pull in Kaushik in a bid to plug the communication gap between Nobbs and the players. He also said that Nobb hasn’t had a very positive influence on the Indian hockey team. According to him, although “Nobbs is okay,” he just hasn’t been successful with the team, but Kaushik is definitely capable of bringing about positive changes by plugging the communication gap between the players and their coach.
Meanwhile, Clarence Lobo and Mohammed Riaz, who have been associated with the team for several years, have been requested to take a break. Reportedly, their fate will be decided once the team’s progress, under the new arrangements, has been properly evaluated.
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