The ball fired from Harmanpreet Singh’s stick sounded the board with a loud thud that reverberated round Antwerp’s KHC Dragons Stadium on Sunday. Once once more, the talismanic drag-flicker had come to India’s rescue with a twelfth worldwide hat-trick, guiding his group to a 5-4 win over Rio 2016 champions Argentina within the Pro League.
The 28-year-old has made it a behavior. India in hassle, Harmanpreet to the rescue. India want targets, Harmanpreet converts from a penalty nook (PC). Penalty shootout, a cool-headed Harmanpreet will slide the ball previous the goalkeeper to assist India win.
The defender, who hails from Jandiala Guru in Punjab, performed a important position on the Tokyo Olympics. With Rupinder Pal Singh, the 2 skilled drag-flickers scored a complete of 10 targets, with each changing within the well-known 5-4 win over Germany that earned India an Olympic medal after 41 years.
But Rupinder’s retirement in 2021 has left an enormous void and Harmanpreet has been compelled to go solo. None of his successors have been in a position to fill the big sneakers main to an enormous distinction within the high quality of drag-flicks between Harmanpreet and the second battery.
It is regular for many high groups to have not less than two, if no more, world-class drag-flickers. Australia have Jeremy Hayward, Blake Govers and Rintala Joel. Olympic champions Belgium possesses the world’s finest PC specialist Alexander Hendrickx, Loick Luypert and Tom Boon. Great Britain have Nicholas Bandurak and Sam Ward.
India, nonetheless, are struggling on that entrance. Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay and Araijeet Singh Hundal who’ve all made the record of 28 core probables of which solely 16 will head to Paris in July. The group administration additionally tried Varun Kumar, Neelam Sanjeep Xess and Dipsan Tirkey within the final three years however they have not made the reduce.
“There is a gap (between Harmanpreet and others). The second and third drag-flickers should contribute more towards execution which will always keep the goalkeeper confused,” says former India drag-flicker VR Raghunath, who has been employed by Hockey India (HI) to domesticate PC specialists on the grassroot stage. “Harman will always contribute. If the second and third flickers can contribute 10-15% more (goals), we can cover the gap.”
Amit is all however assured of a Paris spot however his position is primarily that of a defender and first rusher. Also, he’s not an everyday PC taker and scores solely as soon as in virtually 10 video games. That leaves India with Jugraj, Sanjay and Araijeet – all of whom made their debut within the final couple of years.
Jugraj will possible be the second flicker in Paris as Sanjay (2 targets in 31 matches) simply hasn’t been in a position to carry his excessive conversion price on the junior stage into seniors. Araijeet, then again, debuted solely earlier this yr and Craig Fulton is understood to choose expertise.
“Jugraj is doing a good job. He is mentally and physically strong and has good power. It is true that rushers are smart and fearless but drag-flickers have also learnt to be cunning. Every rusher has a weakness. It is for the flickers to analyse videos and take advantage of that. These days everyone has power, it is more of a psychological game,” added Raghunath, who retired in 2017.
Touted as India’s power forward of the house World Cup, Harmanpreet proved to be the group’s weak point in Odisha final yr. Knowing the hosts had a weak second battery, opposition groups choked Harmanpreet in the course of the quadrennial occasion which dried up targets for India. The consequence was India completed joint ninth – the worst end by hosts at a World Cup.
Rushers and goalkeepers will attempt to do an encore in opposition to Harmanpreet in Paris, particularly after the India skipper emerged as the highest scorer within the final two editions of the Pro League.
“The more experience the other flickers get, the more chances they get, the better. With more exposure and experience, results will improve,” says Rupinder, who can also be concerned in HI’s grassroot improvement of drag-flickers. “The second flicker will be needed at Olympics because everyone will target Harman. What happened at the World Cup shouldn’t happen again.”
Even although PC conversion charges have dried up through the years due to smarter and fearless first rushers, higher gear and standardisation of the hockey stick, the drag-flick nonetheless stays crucial device if a group desires to win matches and tournaments. Take Gonzalo Peillat for instance who single-handedly took Argentina to gold in Rio 2016.
India have tried many PC specialists throughout nationwide camps, spent additional hours on set-pieces and in addition introduced in international specialists to assist.
“We are bettering. Jugraj has stable energy and may be very focussed. I’m additionally giving extra consideration to flicking. The most important goal is to beat the primary rusher. Some come straight, some quick. We try to go round him to sling it in exhausting. Then comes accuracy, that means hitting within the right angle, whether or not to hit left, proper or grounded. The plan needs to be executed correctly,” says Amit, who has 180 worldwide caps.
The group has lower than two months to high-quality tune the drag-flick division earlier than heading to Paris. While the current tour of Australia proved to be a catastrophe as India misplaced 0-5, maybe the one constructive was the PC division with each Harmanpreet and Jugraj coming to the social gathering in Perth. Craig Fulton will hope it stays the identical manner in Paris.
Source: www.hindustantimes.com
