The rape allegation in opposition to defender Varun Kumar is a distraction for the boys’s hockey staff and his absence from the FIH Pro League can be handled as an damage setback, India chief coach Craig Fulton mentioned on Friday.
Varun, an Arjuna award recipient, withdrew himself from the match after being accused of rape. He is exploring authorized choices to deal with the allegation, which he described as a “calculated attempt to extort money” from him.
India are scheduled to tackle Spain within the match opener on Saturday.
ALSO READ| ‘Percentage Increase Every Passing Day’: La Liga Chief Javier Tebas Confident of Kylian Mbappe Transfer to Real Madrid
“If you take it from outside and, of course, it’s a challenging situation but at the same time, you’ve got a level of professionalism and then from a start point of view we have to have our plans in place,” mentioned Fulton throughout a pre-event press convention.
“So, if you took it as an injury, someone now is injured. What would you do? What are the plans in place in the event of an injury? So, Varun is not here. What is the plan? There always is a plan for anyone who gets injured for a long time, striker, mid-field or defence.
“So we’re going on the level of professionalism we have in the group, the values that we hold. It’s a distraction, it’s challenging, it’s not great but we have to move forward, we have a plan in place on how we go,” the coach mentioned.
India skipper Harmanpreet Singh hoped that Varun would get a chance to play in different tournaments later.
“He is in the list of 29 (probables). The coach has said it earlier that he will keep changing the team, so definitely he (Varun) can play also and he will be with us also,” mentioned Harmanpreet.
On whether or not somebody like former Indian cricket staff psychological coach Paddy Upton would have turn out to be useful at this juncture, Fulton mentioned the staff was adequate to “stay to our task” and “uphold our values”.
Upton had helped the Indian males’s hockey staff forward of the Asian Champions Trophy and the Asian Games.
“Unfortunately, Paddy is not here with this group. We had time with him in Cape Town. Now, it’s up to us to stay to our task and what we are trying to do as a team and uphold our values. We, really look forward to playing at home.”
The coach additionally mentioned the house stretch of the match was the perfect alternative to verify the squad for the Paris Olympics, particularly after the debacle within the five-nations match in Valencia, the place they gained only one recreation and misplaced three.
ALSO READ| F1: Sebastian Vettel Not To Be Replaced As GPDA Director; Alexander Wurz Confirms
The tour of South Africa in January too was a combined bag with India ending with two wins, a draw and a crushing 1-5 loss to world No.1 Netherlands.
On whether or not the Indian staff was trying to enhance in particular areas in a collection of eight Pro League matches at house, Fulton mentioned, “It is kind of home stretch but it’s also about us confirming our Olympic squad.
“In Valencia, we didn’t have a training block beforehand because of the National Games and the National Championships, but SA (tour) was definitely in the right direction,” mentioned Fulton.
He added that the Pro League matches in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela in opposition to Spain, Netherlands, Australia and Ireland will enable him to evaluate everybody.
“We are trying to give everyone an opportunity in both competitions and then confirm our Olympic squad. That’s an important phase for us now. Then obviously to keep developing our game, and our combinations within that.
He said that there could be losses and disappointments along the way but he would be looking at consistency and team effort while confirming the Olympic squad.
“We want to be as close to performing as we can in every game and that’s not always going to be the case. So, it’s time to confirm our squad and at the same time get some performances together and get some consistency,” he mentioned.
Harman too mentioned the final set of house matches had been essential for choosing the Olympic squad.
“These are the last series of matches in India ahead of the Olympics. So, this is a good chance for us to try and improve further. We play some good matches here, so we have to see how we utilise this opportunity and how to prepare for the Olympic Games,” mentioned the previous drag-flicker.
(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated news company feed – PTI)
Source: www.news18.com
