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When talking about the sporting history of India, the first sport that many people will talk about is cricket. There is no doubt that cricket is the most popular sport in India, but the sporting history of this country comes down to more than just the achievements of legends such as Sachin Tendulkar or Saurav Ganguly.
Legends such as the likes of Dhyan Chand, Dhanraj Pillay, and Leslie Claudius have also contributed a wealth of achievements within India’s sporting history. These men did not dominate a bat and ball sport but rather a stick and ball sport. They played on a rectangular pitch instead of a massive circle. I am of course talking about field hockey.
India’s history with field hockey is a long and illustrious one. Perhaps not currently, but for the majority of history, India has always dominated in field hockey, winning many tournaments from the Olympics to the Asian Games between the 1930’s and 1970’s. While cricket in India today is considered as popular as the NFL for America, it can be said that the history of Indian sports is highly glorified by the incredible achievements from hockey.
Although field hockey can still be considered famous for all the glory and fame it brought for India, the current state of the game cannot be considered even close to its former self. Corruption, greed, and conflicts and interests have seen the once dominant country become minnows. Countries such as Australia, Argentina, England, the Netherlands, and Germany invest heavily in the development of hockey in their countries, while India still lags behind, with the money-driven Hockey India League serving as its only contributor to modern day field hockey.
“It is very sad to see the current state of [field] hockey in our country,” said Malak Singh, a current forward on the India national team. “I really do like the Hockey India League, it gives the younger players the exposure they need to improve but it is still not enough to bring us back to where we were.”
The road back to glory though is a long one, with India winning the first six hockey tournaments at the Summer Olympics between 1928 and 1956, earning the silver medal in 1960, before reclaiming the gold medal in 1964. A couple of bronze medal performances followed before India won the gold medal for the last time in 1980. India even won the Hockey World Cup once in 1975. Ever since then, the country has yet to taste success in any international field hockey event.
Since India won the Cricket World Cup for the first time in 1984, field hockey in the country has gone downhill. The sport has suffered from corruption, as well as lack of exposure and promotion. The 2008 Summer Olympics was a low point for Indian field hockey as the country’s national team failed to qualify for the first time in their history. They managed to make it though for London 2012, but perhaps not qualifying again would have been better as India finished last after the tournament.
“We are in complete shambles,” said Raj Kundra, a sports journalist for the Times of India. “Hockey India is taking us for fools if they believe that anything is improving right now in hockey. The league has been going on for three years now and it is still dominated by foreign stars while not producing any young Indian talent.”
Kundra is correct.
When the Hockey India Federation started the Hockey India League in 2013 there was a lot of fanfare, people seemed to be excited for hockey again, especially with controversy slowly arising from the Indian cricket league, also known as the Indian Premier League, about corruption and match fixing.
There was a sense that some younger players would be finally given their chance to create a name for themselves and catch the eye of talent scouts on the India national team and even abroad. Big corporations from around India were willing to invest in the league and international stars from around the globe from the best national teams were also willing to come to play in the league.
Teams were even placed in hockey hotbeds in India such as Punjab, Delhi, Lucknow, and Mumbai. However, despite all of the anticipation, the results after three years have not been good. The league has suffered since the season only lasts for one month in January every year, thus players can never show their growth in skills over a long period of time.
At the same time, there are no more chances for Indian players from the Hockey India League to play in other tournaments after the league finishes. The foreign players will return to their own countries and play in eight-month long leagues, while barely any players in India have this opportunity. For the rest of the year, these players have to find second jobs in order to survive.
“Is this how we plan on reaching the heights we were at decades ago?” Kundra questioned. “The federation has shown no focus towards youth development and no focus towards hosting other tournaments to keep our players fit and active. All we have done is create a circus that occurs every year so that the owners can make some money off a sport that was once the pride of India. Now it is a national shame.”
Currently India is preparing for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. The team managed to qualify after winning the Asia Cup in 2014 but the preparation before the Olympics will be telling. The team recently acquired a new head coach in Dutchman, Roelant Oltmans, and despite recent big results going in India’s favor, such as a fourth place finish in the recently concluded World Hockey League tournament – a tournament which serves as a qualifier for the Hockey World Cup – the team will have to look to a lot of young players to play against veterans of the game.
How the national team will do is anyone’s guess but with new faces like Mandeep Singh, Birendra Lakra, and Yuvraj Walmiki coming into the team, India may have a bright future.
Singh was an everlasting presence upfront for India since bursting onto the scene in the Hockey India League in 2013, only being signed as a replacement player. Lakra meanwhile has been in the India setup since 2007 and has gone on to captain both his team in the Hockey India League but also the national team. Walmiki finally though is probably the most promising of the bunch, putting in a world-class performance for India during the World Hockey League finals in August. He has since been playing in local tournaments, but has stated that he would love to lead India in Brazil next summer.
These players may not be world-beaters yet, or ever, but with the Olympics coming up this summer, they have a chance to inspire an entire country out of an over-30-year slump.
The road to Brazil shall begin during a national team camp scheduled for next month in Delhi before one last edition of the Hockey India League commences in January.