Butt has his causes for that, which he shared on this interview with Timesofindia.com all the way through Pakistan workforce’s discuss with for the Males’s Asia Champions Trophy (ACT) just lately held in Chennai, the place Bharat went on to boost the identify beating Malaysia within the ultimate.
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Intertwined with fables from the well-known Bharat vs Pakistan encounters he was once a part of and the off-field bonhomie he nonetheless stocks with the Indian gamers, Butt mentioned what Pakistan hockey will have to do to boost its situation as soon as once more and what the Global Hockey Federation (FIH) may just take a look at with regards to tweaking the foundations, which can aid hockey build world stars as soon as once more.
Excerpts of an interview to TimesofIndia.com…
You may have been to Bharat steadily. Do you are feeling any exchange every hour you return?
I by no means really feel I’m in Bharat. I by no means really feel we’re two countries. Similar form of meals, similar form of garments. So that you by no means notice whether or not you might be in Pakistan or Bharat. However sure, when Bharat and Pakistan are enjoying in opposition to every alternative (in Bharat), nearest all the stadium is with Bharat and if Pakistan ratings a function, nearest there may be pin-drop quietness. The similar will occur in Pakistan if Bharat performs there. It’s herbal. But when we (Pakistan) are enjoying in opposition to some other workforce, nearest the Indian population helps us. Once we pull out of the stadium, nation need to meet us. The media has at all times made us really feel welcome.
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However the usual of Pakistan hockey has fallen tremendously, to the purpose that the workforce has overlooked Olympics and Global Cups. Has that taken the sheen off the Bharat vs Pakistan hockey competition, you suppose?
Every time Bharat and Pakistan have performed, it’s by no means been like a residue of 5-7 targets…and it’s now not in regards to the groups on paper when Bharat and Pakistan play games. It’s a special situation altogether at the garden…Every time it’s Bharat vs Pakistan, training is going within the dustbin and simply feelings and ‘josh’ (zeal) is on show.
Symbol credit score: ANI
Nonetheless Pakistan hockey wishes to seek out tactics in order again its bright life…
Pakistan hockey is now bored with non permanent making plans; we need to get started making plans for the long run. If you happen to see this workforce (that participated in ACT 2023 in Chennai), it’s a tender workforce, with gamers having 2, 4, 5 caps…Until now, no matter slight global revel in they have got, the workforce is enjoying excellently. Everyone is announcing that we’re getting to peer Pakistan’s attacking hockey once more later a protracted hour. So it feels excellent.
You have been a part of many Bharat-Pakistan video games. What sort of courting do you proportion with the Indian gamers?
Most commonly it’s what I will’t proportion (smiles), however nonetheless I can inform you. We have been more or less naughty; now not simply me; there was once Salman Akbar, Muhammad Saqlain and others. If we communicate in regards to the Indian workforce, we had Gagan (Ajit Singh), Jugraj (Singh), Kamalpreet (Singh), Prabhjot (Singh). Once we impaired to walk out in combination, it was once a special order altogether. However I can secure the ones tales at the aspect and inform you a tale from the garden.
I believe it was once all the way through the 8-match home-and-away sequence between Bharat and Pakistan, with 4 video games in Bharat and 4 in Pakistan. This, I imagine, was once all the way through the duel in Jalandhar. There was once an Indian full-back referred to as Harpal. I dodged him and his patka (turban) got here off a slight. He confirmed me his stick in enrage and mentioned ‘tu mainu mareya’ (you clash me). I instructed him “mai tainu nahi mareya, eh aape khul geya, tu gussa kyo karna peya’ (I didn’t hit you, it came off on its own, why are you getting angry). But he said now you come again near me. The I dodged him once again and he said ‘hun tu aa (now you come)’. Then I told him ‘Now I don’t want to come, I have done what I wanted to do’ (laughs).
So this kind of chit-chat went on when we were on the field. But off the field we are close friends. Like when I entered India from Wagah border (with the ACT team), Jugraj came to receive me, then on his phone Kamalpreet called. So, good memories were revived.
Team India aside, has the standard of hockey in Asia overall declined?
Not just in Asia, the standard of hockey has fallen world over. If you look at Germany, it is the No. 5 ranked team (4th in current FIH Men’s team rankings), Australia is No. 6. It means overall (the level of) hockey is falling. Tell me one thing: Of late, which star has hockey produced? Like you had Dhanraj Pillay – big star, Shahbaz Sr – big star, Pargat Singh – big star. Then from our era, Sandeep Singh – big star, Sohail Abbas – big star, people know Rehan Butt as well. Why has (the) star culture vanished? Because right now the quality of players is not the same.
If you talk about one (star) player that India relies on currently, it’s their drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh. But which foreign player do you think is a big star? Earlier, there was Christopher Zeller, Teun de Nooijer, Taeke Taekema, Floris Bovelander and many others. People knew them. Right now, I don’t think fans can name even one player who plays for Holland, Germany, etc.
Image credit: PTI
What would you suggest if asked how this can be changed?
To change this, the rolling substitution rule has to be altered. Nowadays, every two minutes we call a player back just because hockey has become very fast. Which star is born in two minutes? He comes back, sits out for three minutes, then goes back in, then plays for 2-3 minutes. I think this thing is finishing heroes in hockey.
I have a suggestion related to this for the FIH. If a player has come out after playing for 5 minutes in a particular quarter, then he should not be allowed to go back in during the same quarter. This will make the coach think about keeping his best players on the pitch for 7-10 minutes and rest them for the last five minutes. Until such tweaks are made, I don’t think hockey will start producing stars again.
An ordeal of untouched PC laws was once additionally introduced through the FIH, however they withdrew that quickly later….
Drag-flickers build targets, so this too is more or less placing an finish to (the) big name tradition. Each nation has invested a dozen to deliver to arrange the drag-flickers that they’ve now.
In case Bharat don’t walk directly to win the gold medal on the Asian Video games, they’ll must progress to Pakistan to play games the Olympic qualifiers. How bulky will that be for Pakistan hockey?
It’ll be very bulky. It’s been a past since Bharat travelled to Pakistan; I believe it was once 2004-05 when Bharat terminating got here to Pakistan. However Bharat have a in reality excellent prospect (to win gold) on the Asian Video games. They’re an overly admirable workforce, ranked international Disagree. 4 (climbed to Disagree. 3 later successful the ACT). The alternative (Asian) groups are languishing at Disagree. 9, 10 and decrease.
