Bhubaneswar, India – The glimmer of hope that saw the Indian men’s field hockey team on its way to a bronze medal win over Germany at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was short-lived.
Host nation India’s enthusiasm for this year’s FIH Hockey World Cup was dashed with a 5-4 loss to New Zealand on January 22. India, who are ranked sixth in the world, put up a below-average performance and tied with Argentina for ninth place overall.
The streak was the last of the nation’s winning streak for the sport, which won eight Olympic golds from 1928 to 1980 (six between 1928 and 1956) and set the best Olympic record with 134 wins with 83 wins. Matches
After a disappointing World Cup performance, hockey commentators and fans focused on the poor performance of the players and the politics surrounding the game.
An Indian team has not made it to the semi-finals since they last won the tournament in 1975. He did not qualify for the 2008 Olympics. In the 2018 Men’s Hockey World Cup, which was won by Belgium, host India lost in the quarter-finals and this year the team failed to make it to the quarter-finals.
“We are concerned about the future of the team and now we are looking at addressing the issues and concerns of the 2024 Paris Olympics and the upcoming Asian Games, the Olympic qualifiers this year,” Dilip Tirkee, president of Hockey India and former captain, told Indian news agencies. “The main concern at the moment is the team’s limited exposure and lack of practice in open tournaments will help improve their game.”
He said the team failed to capitalize on its strengths – securing results from penalties. The team, led by captain Harmanpreet Singh, has been criticized for poor penalty kicks (five out of 26), inconsistent movement, losing possession at key moments and poor defence. Injuries to two key players, midfielder Hardik Singh and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, did not help matters.
Substandard infrastructure
In India’s southeast, Odisha – which has produced some of the country’s best hockey players, including Dileep and Prabod Tirki – hosted the World Cup for the second time in a row. However, despite being said to be the home of hockey in the country, the state still lags far behind in terms of infrastructure compared to other countries globally.
One of the key reasons for the decline of hockey in India is the limited number of artificial turf pitches in the country, say experts of the game. Although their number has increased to about 40 in India as a whole, including 17 in Odisha, in the last few years, they are much less compared to European countries. The addition of artificial turf poses a problem for Indians because they grow up playing mostly on grass. Odisha plans to lay at least 24 more astroturf plots over the next few years, but some experts think this will still not be enough.
“The game changed after the introduction of astroturf in the 1970s,” said Sandeep Mishra, a senior sports journalist from Odisha. “It’s less about speed, strength and stamina and less about skill. In the last quarter, our players look tired and can’t keep their timing. When the game is played on grass, India dominates world hockey and skill is what matters. We haven’t been able to build enough astroturf pitches in our country. Our players usually start their career on grass. and later you will be introduced to Astroturf.
The state government introduced a school hockey scheme in April, under which one school in each of the 30 districts has a hockey club with 25 to 30 members. These clubs play district level hockey matches every Sunday. In most districts there are also sports academies that recruit students from villages and train them in sports. Despite these efforts, the infrastructure network on the ground is still lacking compared to other countries.
“The average lifespan of a rink is eight to 10 years, but the one in our academy was installed in 2007,” said Abraham Kispota, head of a hockey academy in Odisha’s Sundergarh district. “It is in poor condition. We have written several letters to the administration, but there is no progress. Some of these girls are playing at regional and national level. How can you train on this field? Indian team vice-captain Amit Rohidas also trained at this academy.
While the Odisha government is investing heavily in building stadiums, sponsoring national men’s and women’s teams and co-owning hockey clubs, Mishra says the country needs to expose players to more competition.
“We practice a lot and play a little,” Mishra said. “In many tournaments, there is no substitute for real match practice, so it will be better. As our top players stay in camps, domestic tournaments become insignificant and fail to attract sponsors and spectators. I believe that more tournaments, at least a good number of domestic and international ones, will help improve our performance and create a bigger talent pool. .
Some pundits have debated whether frequent coaching changes and foreign coaches have helped the game in India. He said that the traditional Indian style of hockey, which requires more skill in dribbling and hiding, is being overlooked in favor of the coaching style taught by European coaches.
Veteran sports journalist Chandrashekhar Luthra says, “European style hockey is like carom – more power and hitting – if you notice Diane Chand’s game, our traditional style requires more speed and less power.” “[It’s] Very suitable for our body. So we’re losing power there. Also, these western coaches teach theoretical strategies that are difficult for players from small villages to understand. It is not the same even with an interpreter.
A good coach, says Mishra, can make or break his players and his game.
“It is very important to choose a coach who understands not only the game, but the players, their psychology, their skills and abilities, as well as their intelligence and background,” he said. “The coach should be given a reasonable time to deliver. In India, coaches are always blamed for the team’s poor performance and are often sacked. “
After this year’s World Cup debacle, Australia’s Graham Reid, who helped the team win the Olympic bronze, has stepped down as India’s coach. This now leads to another round of hunting for a coach to take the team to the Asian Games.
Failure to restore public interest
Questions have been raised about whether the continued investment in hockey, once believed to be India’s national sport, is paying off. Odisha has spent $8.2 million to host the 2018 World Cup. In the year The figure for the 2023 World Cup is much higher at $130 million, which includes the cost of building the largest all-capacity field hockey stadium in Odisha’s Rourkela.
But some say that Odisha’s redoubled efforts to promote hockey have made the sport a state centerpiece.
“Hockey was a much-loved and popular national sport till the late 90s, but due to politics and personal rivalries, the game was shifted to Odisha,” Luthara said. “This move has made the Games very regional and state-centric as sponsors have started moving mostly public sector jobs to Odisha.”
He said this approach has gradually led to hockey being seen as a regional or regional game and less emphasis on the game or the players.
“There are no more national leagues or academies, and therefore the Indian hockey team, which was at the top of the game, is now not even powerful in Asia,” he said.