Yashvir Singh, who was with coaching staff of Indian wrestling squad at london Olympics, personally looks after preparations of star grappler Sushil Kumar. The experienced coach talks to Ajeyo Basu on the chances of Indian team at the Asian Championships and his views on future tournaments
Tell us about the preparations of the Indian wrestling squad for the Senior Asian Championships.
Training is going well. We have invited several wrestlers from Georgia who are training along with us. Generally we go to train in eastern European countries, but since we are hosting the Asian Championships, we needed to train in our home conditions. So we invited them over here. There are several wrestlers in that team who have won medals at the European Championships. If we practice with them, our boys will pick up their techniques and their fitness will also improve. That will benifit them at the Asian Championships. Most of the Georgians are freestyle wrestlers, but there is one who competes in the Greco-Roman category. So our boys are improving by training with them.
Generally Indian wrestlers go to foreign countries to take part in training stints. But this is the first time that a team of foreign wrestlers have come over to India. Is this the start of a new trendIJ
We decided to call the Georgians because we needed high quality sparring partners in our own climate and home conditions. If wrestlers of other nations feel that they will get good training conditions in here and it will benefit them, they are most welcome to India and train with us. It will be benificial for Indian wrestling as well.
Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt are doubtful due to injuries….
Yes, Sushil and Yogeshwar’s chances of turning out at the Asian Championships are extremely slim. They have only returned to training only a few days ago and will take some time to hit top form. We are aiming to get them into top form in time for the World Championships which will take place in September. We do not want to run the risk of aggravating their injuries at this stage. But they could yet play at the Asian Championships if the doctors give us the all clear before the tournament. We will take a call only one or two days before the tournament.
What are their chances of participating at the Asian ChampionshipsIJ
There is still a few days to go for the tournament. We are continously monitoring their progress. They are going through the recovery phase. If the doctors tell us that they are fit to play one or two days before the event, then after that we will take a final call.
How much of an effect will the absence of these star wrestlers have on India’s chances at the Asian ChampionshipsIJ
If Sushil and Yogeshwar are fit and in good form, they are almost guaranteed to fetch us medals. Their absence is a setback. But we do have good replacements for them. Yogeshwar will be replaced by Bajrang who will be making his debut at the senior level. But he has several excellent performances at the junior level to his credit and the experience of taking on the top wrestlers in the continent will be valuable for in terms of taking that next jump into transforming himself into an elite contestant at the senior level. In the 66 kg category (Sushil Kumar’s event) we have Amit Kumar from Haryana. We expect him to do well. We have a good team. There a couple of boys who have got experience. The team is excellent, there is no doubt regarding the team.
Which countries do you consider to be the biggest threatIJ
We have a very strong team and we are not worried about the other countries. But Iran have a very good team. Korea and Japan are also very strong. We have a strong rivalry with these countries especially with Iran.
Your thoughts on India’s medal chances at the Asian Championships…
We have more chances of winning medals in the Freestyle events. I am expecting three to four medals in the Freestyle events. We are not that strong in the Greco-Roman divisions and are not expecting any medals from there. If we do win a medal in the Greco-Roman events, we will consider it as a bonus.
Indian wrestlers are doing very well in Freestyle events. But they seem to falter in the Greco-Roman categories. What are the reasons behind thisIJ
The desi style of wrestling which is done in village akhadas on mud pits is more similar in style to Freestyle wrestling. For this reason, when Indian wrestlers fight on the mat, they are more comfortable in Freestyle events. We do not have too many Greco-Roman events in India. There is also a shortage of coaches who are expert in this style of wrestling. The wrestling trials for jobs in various government departments as well as the services, police and para-military forces are held only in Freestyle. As a result of this, there is a lack of enthusiasm among our Indian wrestlers in going for the Greco-Roman style. This has led to a shortage of good Grec-Roman wrestlers. Other countries, especially the nations of east Europe have more of a tradition in Greco-Roman wrestling and wrestlers from these nations generally do well in this category of wrestling.
In Asia, Iran is very strong in Greco-Roman wrestling and they are expected to do very well at the Asian Championships as well. But they will face strong competition from the central Asian republics.
What about India’s chances in the women’s categoryIJ
Babita (Kumari) had won a bronze at the World Championships last year. She and her sister Geeta (Phogat) are good prospects.
What are the changes that you would like to see in the Indian systemIJ
We need to improve our training standards in the akhadas. We also need to participate in more international tournaments. Indian wrestlers are very hard working. They just need proper training and guidance.