New Delhi: Sitting top of the rankings in Asia with a 2018 World Cup place in the bag as hosts, India will approach the men's hockey Asia Cup in Dhaka to tick some of the old unchecked boxes and a couple of new ones that have emerged over the last month.
Roelant Oltmans won't be there in the dugout. His countryman has been asked by Hockey India (HI) to hop over the fence from the women's camp into the men's dugout. The injury layoff for goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and full-back Rupinder Pal Singh has extended; the former won't be available until next year's Commonwealth Games and the latter is targeting return in December at the Hockey World League (HWL) Finals.
But those are sideline worries. India have enough to correct on the pitch to not worry what's not in their control off it.
It hasn't been a year to remember so far for India. A bronze medal at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup was at best restoration of pride, after India failed to beat Malaysia for a place in the final. The HWL Semifinals in London brought further embarrassment, after India almost handed out World Cup invitations in defeats against Malaysia and Canada.
On the tour of Europe, some lost belief was salvaged by young blood in two consecutive wins against a first-choice Netherlands team that went on to claim the European Hockey League. It put the importance of those wins in perspective.
Review of the fiasco at HWL Semis led to Oltmans's ouster. In Marijne, HI found a quick-fix solution and the federation will have its fingers crossed over the outcome of their surprise decision that invited a lot of criticism.
The nervous head-scratching may not end there, for HI doesn't have time to wait for a turnaround in results considering a packed 2018 after the HWL Finals in Bhubaneswar this December. So here's the checklist that HI will carry in its back pocket during the Asia Cup.
THE MARIJNE EXPERIMENT
Many of the pundits have called it an experiment, considering Marijne has little experience as chief coach of a national men's team. But the Dutchman has decided not to give any ear to that and get down to work. He has been in India for around seven months now, six of which have been as the coach of women's team. The advantage is that he's in the system and aware of how things work in Indian hockey. He wants the players to take charge, be open, have dialogue and most importantly trust each other. But he doesn't enjoy the privilege of a settling-in period. Rather he will have his task cut out with results expected of him almost immediately.
DON'T TAKE IT AS PREPS FOR HWL FINALS
India will play the 2018 World Cup by virtue of being the hosts of the tournament and, for a matter of fact, so is the case with HWL Finals in December. The boys, as admitted by former coach Oltmans, were guilty of letting it become the reason for complacency in London. It led to sorry defeats against Malaysia (2-3) in the quarterfinals and Canada (2-3) in the 5th/6th placement match. Captain Manpreet Singh, who looked the most despondent of the lot after the tournament, will do well to make sure there is no room for any complacent nerves in the dugout at Dhaka.
YOUNG BLOOD & COMPETITION FOR PLACES
Blooding youngsters was reportedly the bone of contention between former coach Oltmans, who opposed it, and HI, who was in favour. But when the team with nine players from last year's Junior World Cup turned the tables on Netherlands in Netherlands, the mandate and way forward became clear. For the Asia Cup as well India have in-form juniors in defenders Dipsan Tirkey and Varun Kumar, midfielder Sumit and striker Gurjant Singh. But they will know that the likes of Rupinder Pal, Kothajit Singh and Sreejesh, who are injured, and Harjeet Singh among other talented juniors are close on their heels. So there's competition for places, which always augurs well for a team.
EYE ON VETERANS
Sardar Singh and SV Sunil have returned to the squad after being rested for the Europe tour. The competition for places puts more pressure on them since they don't have time on hand and age on their side. Sunil has been a shadow of himself of late and Sardar has lost his customary midfield position and now playing as the 'free man' in defence. The celebrated duo surely would not want the situation to drift into a space where they are sacked from the team. This Asia Cup could decide if they feature in the team for HWL Finals or not.
DOMINATION OVER PAKISTAN
India have tasted sweet success against the archrivals recently, hammering them twice in London 7-1 and 6-1. The former is, in fact, India's biggest win against Pakistan in history. But the Pakistanis have sneaked into the 2018 World Cup despite finishing a poor seventh in HWL Semis. So the pressure will be off them and they would want to make a statement in Dhaka. A hungry Pakistan is the need of world hockey that thrives on the Indo-Pak rivalry.
Lastly, it's been 10 years since India, the seven-time finalists and two-time winners, lifted the Asia Cup in 2007. Coach Marijne would want to begin on a note that changes the trend.
