Hockey team coach Paul van Ass on Wednesday tried to play down the concern that there is a lack of a good goalkeeper who can replace PR Sreejesh in the team if the need arose.
After clinching the Bronze medal in the recently concluded Sultan Azlan Shah Tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia, Sreejesh had expressed his concern saying that after him there is no experienced backup option available for the team. With the team playing important matches all the time and not many Test matches to strengthen the squad, there are not many opportunities coming in Harjot Singh and Sushant Tirkey's (the two current back up choices) way.
Speaking at a sunny but breezy Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in the capital, the Dutch coach said no player can take his place in the team for granted. "Many say that after Sreejesh we don't have anyone and I don't agree with that. Nobody is irreplaceable and also a good goalie is not irreplaceable. We will make him fight and we will have more goalkeepers coming in," van Ass said.
“After the Japan series, we will expand the selection group and add more options,” he added.
Captain Sardar Singh, however, felt differently and expected an improvement in the future. "In sports it happens that a player gets injured and it may happen during a big tournament too. Yes, after Sreejesh we don't have a good backup plan and we need at least 4-5 keepers after him but we're hoping that after the recently concluded Senior Nationals, there would be options and players coming up to fill that void," he stated.
Fortunately for India and the reserve goalkeepers, their next assignment against Japan — in Bhubaneswar from May 3 to 9 where the Men in Blue will play four matches — provides them an opportunity to try out as many players as they can.
Ranked 16 in the world, Japan are unlikely to pose a real threat to India but neither the coach or the players are taking the task easily. "When I coached the Netherlands, we lost to Japan once in Hamburg. You can never underestimate an opponent. Yes we are better ranked and want to move up in the table but our main hope is to have the majority of the wins out of the four games. We are studying their tactics and making strategies to counter them. We are expecting a good contest in Bhubaneswar," the coach said.
The team will travel to Bhubaneswar on the 1st of May with a squad of 25 members. The team is working towards the World league Tournament in Belgium in June and then the final of the same tournament later this year in India. However, the ultimate aim for the players and the coach is the Olympic event next year in Rio de Janeiro.
After the Azlan Shah tournament, Paul concluded that the defence needs to be shaped up for the team to improve. On Wednesday he said that he's looking at the Japan series to get better at this tactical change. "For me the defence is 10 guys on the pitch and your goalkeeper. We don't defend with ten players and don't see it as a responsibility for all ten players. This is the kind of tactical stuff that we have to change," said the Dutchman.
Another aspect that the team has been working on is their off the ball movement which Paul says is a work in progress and something other teams have mastered over years of work.