ROURKELA: The last time Graham Reid was in Rourkela, he was the head coach of the Indian men’s hockey team and they had just been knocked out of the 2023 FIH World Cup. It wasn’t a happy ending for a man who led India to their first Olympic medal after 41 years at the Tokyo Olympics. However, he is back in India once more and this time as the coach of the Delhi SG Piper team in the newly-revamped Hockey India League (HIL)
Delhi will play the tournament opener against Team Gonasika at the Birsa Munda Stadium on Saturday evening.
Reid is more than happy to be back in the country which is like ‘home’ to him, and he can’t wait for the tournament to start. But he understands a tough competition awaits in the league which will see eight teams fight it out for the ultimate prize.
“Every coach will have the same challenge and that is making the group come together, making sure that all aspects of the game are covered. And that’s difficult because we haven’t had very much time together,” said Reid on the eve of their tournament opener against Manpreet Singh & Co.
“The team that will win is the team that manages to keep on improving. So, you know, teams may not start as well, but it’s how we improve during the tournament that will matter.”
Shamsher Singh, one of the co-captains of the Delhi side, meanwhile, pointed out that being fit will be another key aspect of the game. “Since each team will be playing 10 matches it’s important to stay injury free and concentrate on recovery. Then it’s all about giving our best when it matters the most.”
While that will be the primary focus for every team, what’s most important is how much the junior India players can learn from it and improve in the coming days.
The young stars made good use of the experience at the last HIL and won the Junior World Cup in 2016 in Lucknow and it’s something that the strategy director of Kalinga Lancers David John is hoping to see once again.
“It’s exciting for Indian hockey. It’s necessary for Indian hockey that these young junior players receive this exposure to playing at a high level with good quality international and Indian players. It’s good for their development and good for the future of Indian hockey,” said John, who has been working in India for quite some time now.
Harmanpreet Singh, captain of the Soorma Hockey Club and the India team, further added, “The Indian team’s success in the Olympics is due to the exposure the league provided us, at a young age. Rubbing shoulders with players you look up to and competing with and against them daily improved us more than we could imagine.”
Thus, the league will aim to change the Indian hockey landscape for the better once again but with the tournament happening mostly in one city, besides a couple of matches in Ranchi, it remains to be seen how the players will stay fresh and motivated for more than a month.
