Rupinder Pal Singh, a former drag-flick specialist, has shared his insights on how the Indian men’s hockey team can counter Australia’s aggressive style of play. His suggestions come in the wake of India’s 0-5 defeat in the five-Test series in Perth.
Rupinder Pal Singh shares his thoughts on the Indian Hockey Team
Despite the disappointing outcome, Singh remains optimistic about the team’s prospects. He believes that the team improved with each game, and the series served as a preparation for the upcoming Paris Olympics. He also noted that new variations and players were tried out during the series.
“We lost the first match 5-1, after that the team improved and the score-lines were close, we missed some chances, some work needs to be done before the Olympics. The series was a preparation for the Paris Olympics, as new variations and players were tried out,” he told PTI.
Igniting the future of Indian Hockey!
Former stars like Rupinder Pal Singh, Gurjinder Singh, VR Raghunath, and Jaspreet Kaur hone their coaching prowess under the mentorship of Hockey India High Performance Director Herman Kruis. Now, they embark on a journey, spearheading… pic.twitter.com/CXcKALmndH
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Singh’s primary strategy to counter Australia’s hard press involves better defensive coordination and innovative passing. He suggests that a high level of coordination is required, particularly in defender-to-defender ball transfer. Quick passes from defenders to the midfield and overhead passes could be useful in countering Australia’s style of play.
“Australia’s hard press can be countered, high level of coordination is required for that, defender-to-defender ball transfer, quick passes from defenders to the mid-field, overhead passes would be useful in countering such a style of play,” the 33-year-old suggested.
Singh also addressed India’s reliance on penalty corners for scoring. He sees no fault in this strategy, pointing out that all international teams, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Australia, depend on penalty corners. With defences becoming stronger, penalty corner conversion has become an important tool, with about 1-2 goals needing to be scored from them in every match.
He praised current Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh, describing him as one of the best drag-flickers in the world. However, he expressed concern about the penalty corner conversion rate of the women’s team, which is seeking to rebuild itself after failing to qualify for the Olympics.
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