Mike Hussey is relishing his chance to help Australia stave off dominant England and bat out to a draw in the second Ashes Test in Adelaide.
India captain Rajpal Singh tells hockey authorities to follow the cricket board's way of selecting a new chief coach for the beleaguered team
India hockey captain Rajpal Singh may not have shared the best of relationships with erstwhile chief coach Jose Brasa, however he is still open to the idea of a foreign coach, albeit if the selection is done in a radically different manner.
Brasa good
"The team performed well under Brasa but he did not treat players with respect and that led to problems. What we need now is a coach ufffd be it India or foreign ufffd who understands the Indian psyche and who can bond with the players not only on the field but off it too. A coach, who understands the emotional needs of a player," Rajpal told MiD DAY from his home in Chandigarh, where he is currently down with a stomach bug.
The national team is on a two-month break and with Brasa's contract over, and coach Harendra Singh having resigned after the team's shocking defeat to Malaysia in the semi-finals of the Guangzhou Asian Games, the team is currently coach-less.
However, this is the right time for the Sports Authority of India and Hockey India to plan the recruitment process of the new coach, believes Rajpal.
"SAI and HI should follow the BCCI's (Board of Control for Cricket in India) method in selecting a coach. They should invite applications from Indian as well as foreign candidates. However, an important aspect here would be to take into account a few senior players' suggestions too. Ultimately, it is the players, who have to work with the coach," added Rajpal, who doubts whether his suggestion will be considered though.
Pakistan's planning"Such a thing has never happened in Indian hockey. But our administrators could take Pakistan's example.
Recently, a few senior Pakistan players quit citing the need for a foreign coach. They were recalled and a foreign coach (Michael van de Heuvel) was hired. Consequently Pakistan won gold in Guangzhou and qualified for the 2012 London Olympics.
"This is a very important year for us. We have to win the Olympic Qualifiers to make it to London, and if the players are not happy with the man in-charge, we could just miss another Olympics after Beijing," he signed off.
