The Many Years of Dominance
There was a time when Hockey had a great fan following in our country. Whenever India played, the whole country got sucked into it and emotions ran high. No wonder Hockey was the national sport and it lived up to its reputation for decades. On the International Stage Indian Hockey reigned supreme and including 1980 had won India 8 Gold Medals. at the Olympics. Hockey brought great joy and respect for its countrymen.
From the Highs to the Lows
Hockey in that era was a mix of sublime skill, artistry in motion and a good dose of speed. It was a visual treat to behold the charisma and panache of players as they dribbled past opponents with consumate ease and scored goals. I grew up watching some of India’s greats in Mohd. Shahid, Zafar Iqbal, Pargat Singh, Mervyn Fernandes, Jude Felix and Thoiba Singh to name a few. Their skill was unparalleled and made Hockey an extremely watchable sport. But then, from the highs came the lows and things changed for Indian Hockey.
Subtle Skills Succumb to Raw Pace
The Europeans and Australia quickly learned the nuances of the game and though they were not as skilled as Indians, they were much fitter and faster and the only thing they needed was a faster surface to play on. The changes began to happen. Natural grass gave way for artificial poly grass and then came the even quicker Astro Turf. Hockey changed on its head. The subtle skills and artistry succumbed to pace and India began to lose out. Things began to slip quickly post the 80s as Australia, Germany and Netherlands became the new Hockey power band of the World.
A Nation Loses Interest…
Indian Hockey was unable to keep pace and suffered. The game became too quick which impacted its visual appeal too and coupled with unfavourable results a majority of Indians started losing interest in the game. Dhanraj Pillai and his boys tried hard to keep the interest alive, but still a lot had to be done. The new look Hockey had completely decimated its fan following. I too lost interest in Hockey completely and though I kept reading about India’s performances, I never enjoyed watching Hockey as much as I had enjoyed earlier. An uprising was needed to save the National Sport.
…But The Passion Continues to Burn
Indians were the quickest to adapt to the new Hockey amongst the Asian Teams. I am sure that the Indian Hockey Federation kept the interest running in Hockey amongst the youth which allowed a steady stream of talent to keep flowing into the sport. Foreign Coaches too played their part and India hung on, not too far from the Europeans. India forcing a Bronze at the Tokyo Olympics was a result of years of hard labour, planning and the right execution.
Brilliant India in Paris : From the Lows to the Highs
Come Paris 2024, the performance of the Indian Hockey Team has been nothing short of a Renaissance. Their style of playing has once again re-ignited my interest in Hockey and after many years I enjoyed watching the Indians play. The players possessed the skill of yore and matched the Europeans and Australians with their pace. They were strong in possession and hardly lost a ball in physical battles and last but not the least displayed some mammoth commitment. Their loss to Germany notwithstanding, the Indians have been brilliant in this competition and for me look a good notch higher than Spain when they face them in the bronze medal match later this evening. A medal which they truly deserve.
And as rightfully predicted India has won the Bronze Medal beating Spain 2-1. A medal so well deserved. Kudos to the entire team and in particular to Sreejesh ‘ The Great Wall of India ‘, who again made a spectacular save to deny Spain in the final seconds of the game. The legend has bid good bye and will be missed. What a player!.
It is so heartening to witness India’s rise in Hockey. Without doubt we are a force to reckon now and have re-captured our rightful place in the Sport.
A Renaissance Indeed !!
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Featured Image : Our Indian Team/Pic courtesy yespunjab.com