Sharing is caring: Graham Reid plans to take penalty corner burden off Harmanpreet Singh

PTI

New Delhi, January 11

India captain Harmanpreet Singh is one of the star attractions of the FIH World Cup, given his knack for penalty corner conversions, but chief coach Graham Reid has worked on plans to divert the attention from his key player.

I would be lying if I say that there isn’t pressure on him (Harmanpreet). We have been spending a lot of time on our variations and making sure that we can deflect some of the pressure from Harman. Graham Reid, India coach

Harmanpreet is one of the world’s finest penalty corner exponents, but Reid wants his other drag-flickers – vice-captain Amit Rohidas, Varun Kumar and Nilam Sanjeep Xess – to share the responsibility with the skipper.

“I would be lying if I say that there isn’t pressure on him (Harmanpreet). We have been spending a lot of time on our variations and making sure that we can deflect some of the pressure from Harman,” Reid said today. “There are other drag-flickers in the squad in the form of Amit, Varun and Nilam and they have to share the burden.”

The team has been practising all the possible scenarios that could play out in a match. And the Australian coach, under whose tutelage India won bronze in the Tokyo Olympics, understands the needs of modern-day hockey.

“We focussed mainly on scenarios in our training, what if we are 0-1 down, what if we are playing with 10 men, what if they take their keeper off. Those types of scenarios which are important that we have dealt with,” he said. “Spending a lot of time on those sorts of scenarios, lots of goal shooting, a lot of tackling, a lot of penalty corners. There is no rocket science there.”

There is no doubt that expectations of a good show by the home team are high, but Reid is unwavering in his approach, trying to keep the team focussed.

“I always say that we shouldn’t be too much focussed on outcome. India as nation always is focussed on outcome,” he said. “It’s an old adage that the first game is the most important, so we are just focussing on that and then take it forward. That’s how we are approaching. My job as a coach is to keep them focussed and the result will follow. It’s an old sports psychology but it works.”