Interview

5 March India revival important for hockey

Interview Date : 2010-03-05

Interview By: Times of India

Description :

He avoids talking in length about his brush with Indian sports authorities when he was the technical advisor for the national hockey teams less than two years back. If asked, Australian coach Ric Charlesworth would say only this much: "I was disappointed."

Charlesworth, who had been roped in to help India revive its glory in the game, was literally forced to quit his posts just 10 months into his job. The reasons: he was unhappy over payment of his dues and also the way the game was being run in the country.

Now back in India on a different mission, as the coach of the Australian team for the World Cup, Charlesworth said he was happy to be back in the country. "I love India and love to come back here. What happened in the past was disappointing, I am doing something else now. But playing hockey in India is one of the best things in my life."

Referring to India's style of play in the World Cup, Charlesworth said he could clearly see Spaniard Jose Brasa's effect on it. "I wasn't here for long enough to have a effect on the team. But I think Jose has a good effect. India is playing more or less the way the Europeans used to play."

India's European style certainly makes Charlesworth's team unique in a way. "If you look at the teams in the competition, almost all are playing the same way. That makes us a bit different as we have our own brand of hockey. It's risky but my belief is that you have to risk losing to win. We can always go for a cautious approach, but then that's not our style."

The Australian also said the Indians players have become more organised and fitter under Brasa. "They are now also sharing the load in the park. All the players are interchanging and that's a smart thing to do. The way they are playing, India have the capacity to beat any team here."

The 58-year-old said there was a need for teams like India and Australia to play each other more in the larger interest of the game. He also said hockey must be revived in the country as Indian presence is critical for the game's future. "That's why I was here (in his bid to do his bit for the game)."

Source TOI