How newly-appointed Graham Reid could steer Indian hockey’s ship

While the Indian men hockey team begins their road to Tokyo 2020, all eyes will be on Graham Reid as he kick-starts his tenure as head coach. The 55-year-old was handed over the reins last month as a replacement for Harendra Singh and will be expected to fix the cracks that are all too apparent in the side.

Given his success as a player and as a manger, Reid is largely expected to turn this Indian side into world beaters in a few years’ time. The Australian’s first coaching stint was with his country’s national team where he was appointed as an assistant coach in 2009. After serving as the right-hand man to the legendary Ric Charlseworth for five years, Reid was later promoted to the position of head coach and would go on to enjoy plenty of success with the team. Amongst the numerous accolades achieved, the 2012 Champions Trophy stands as his crowning glory. He also ensured that the Australians remained one of the best hockey teams on the land as they regained their number 1 spot from Germany in 2013.

Reid’s first order of proceeding as head coach will be managing the side for the Australia Tour, starting on May 10th. Reid has named an 18-member squad, comprising of youth as well as experienced players, most notably Rupinder Singh and debutant Jaskaran Singh. While the India field hockey team has comprised of largely youth players of late, the decision by Reid to bring back more experience in the squad, suggests that he could be willing to change things up in search of more stability and consistency within the squad. Checkout latest hockey news here.