Rajgir (Bihar): India’s chief coach Harendra Singh wants his players to stay calm and composed like Gautam Buddha instead of trying to be a flying horse inside the opposition circle.
India are unbeaten in the Asian Champions Trophy so far with five wins from as many games and will take on Japan in the semifinal on Tuesday.
The chief coach is pleased with his players progress but has demanded more focus when they approach the goal post.
“Indian women’s hockey is already on the right path, only thing is to give some time to these girls to perform. We are in the right process, and these girls have the capability to deliver results,” Harendra said ahead of the semifinal clash.
“I just tell the girls that you are in Buddha’s land so just be Buddha once inside the circle and don’t try to be flying horse,” he added.
“The first thing to notice whether we are entering the circle the way we enter, yes and I am happy with how we are planning and doing things. The next thing is are we getting enough shooting opportunities, the answer is yes. Now it comes to finishing. We are scoring goals but we can score more goals.
“The girls have scored a few amazing goals but still there is room for improvement,” Harendra said.
“That will come with experience, that will come with understanding between the passer and receiver. My girls are trying which we have planned. After this tournament we will assess whether things are really working or we need to find other solutions. I think it is working.”
Harendra was full of praise for young striker Deepika, who is the leading scorer of the tournament with 10 goals.
“I generally don’t talk about individuals. She (Deepika) is just 21 and the way she is playing and the kind of skill and mentality she has is impressive. She can be a lethal world-class striker.
“Not only the field goals, I am really working hard on her dragflicks. She is scoring with dragflicks but she can score more. She should just play her natural game. She has a bright future,” he said.
Leaving aside the 3-2 win over South Korea, the Indians hardly faced any resistance in the tournament.
“It’s true we didn’t face any real test but we are able to achieve what we want from our process. Individual and team preparation is going in the right way. One of the biggest areas of concern was fitness. We have achieved 60 to 70 per cent in that front.
“This is the reason the girls are playing a very fast game. But there is still room for improvement in that area,” Harendra said.
India captain Salima Tete said the team’s effort to play ‘give and go’ hockey is yielding rich dividends.
“Give and go or one-two hockey is our favourite. We try to connect with each other with face to face talks and it is helping. We are now clicking inside the D and we will work harder to continue that,” she said.
