NEW DELHI, June 27, 2017 - Hockey was synonymous with India till themid-1960s as the master technicians established themselves as the unchallengedleaders of the world with a series of victories in the Olympic Games. Thebeauty that was Indian Hockey was lost somewhere along the way as teams fromEurope and Oceania took over.
It came as a rude shock to millions ofhockey-lovers when eight-time winners India failed to qualify for the BeijingGames in 2008 and finished 12th and last in the next Games in London, fouryears later. Eliminated in quarter-finals, Indian men finished eighth at theRio Games (the team finished fourth in group stage) in 2016.
However, a combination of positive factorsthat happened in recent years is the main reason for Indian Hockey’sresurgence: introduction of hockey league, inclusion of more junior players insenior team and elevation of Hockey India chief Narinder Batra as FIHPresident.
The last few years has seen India on theverge of achieving its lost dominance in the hockey world. The launch of theHockey India League (HIL) and introduction of many talented youngsters in thesenior squad has changed the way Indians used to play the game. Now, moreefforts are put in the physical fitness with the technicalities and skills ofthe game.
HIL, which was founded in 2013, has proven to be a financial success forHockey India, which was in financial disarray before the league began. Thefederation has reportedly earned a profit from the league and televisionrevenues in the last three years. Not only the federation, the players alsobenefitted immensely.
The 2017 HIL saw a total prize money of Rs5.70 crores. The winning team, KalingaLancers, was awarded Rs. Three crores and the runners-up Delhi Waveriders Rs.1.5 crore.
Experienced mid-fielder Gurbaj Singh turnedout to be the most sought-after player in the closed bid for HIL 2017, fetchingthe most expensive buy tag, a whopping $99,000.
Dr. Narinder Batra used his business acumento help Hockey India grow its coffers -- from $500,000 to $14,100,000 -- in thelast six years. A visionary with a strong focus on implementation, Dr. Batrahas managed to bring about an upswing in Indian hockey with significant changesin terms of player management, creating a transparent system for efficientgoverning, monitory benefits for players and revenue generation.
This is the reason why India stands tall inthe world of hockey. With his elevation as FIH chief last year, Dr. Batra hasbecome the first Asian to become the chief of the sport, thus breaking themonopoly of Europeans who have been ruling international hockey for decades.
The other promising factor is the inclusionof more junior players in the senior squad for important internationalcompetitions. The team for this year’s Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia had as manyas six players from last year’s Junior World Cup-winning side out of which fourmade their senior debut.
A relatively younger team with players likeAkashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Harjeet, Harmanpreet, Akash Chikte, SurenderKumar, Talwinder Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Manpreet Singh and Jasjit haverepresented the country with distinction in recent months.
The juniors are like a breath of fresh airplaying a style of hockey that most Indians are not used to – fastcounter-attacks, high intensity and relentless attack instead of gettingdefensive. The team’s performance against Pakistan in the World Hockey Leaguesemi-finals in London last week proved this point. The team eventually lost toMalaysia at 2-3 in the knock-out quarter-finals and finished sixth overall.
The Indian junior hockey team createdhistory in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh State, as they beat Belgium2-1 in the finals to lift the 2016 Junior Hockey World Cup. India’s Junior teamalso clinched the EurAsia Cup 2016 after defeating Dynamo-Stroitel 3-2 in anail-biter of a contest at Russia’s Yekaterinburg.
A year earlier (November 2015), India’sjunior team outplayed arch-rivals Pakistan 6-2 in the Asia Cup final to liftits eighth edition. The biggest reason for the team’s success is the trustamongst each other.
By its consistent performances, the juniorshave drawn the attention of the national selectors. Eleven players from theJunior World Cup-winning squad have been inducted among the list of 33probables.
The women's hockey team represented thecountry in the Rio Olympics after a long gap of 36 years. Ranked lowest amongthe participating teams, Indian women, however, had a disastrous campaignlosing all their games barring a draw against Japan in their tournament opener.
The Indian women's hockey team lifted itsmaiden Asian Champions Trophy title with a thrilling 2-1 win over China inSingapore in November 2016.
The Indian women’s hockey team is full of‘young legs’ and a big positive about this side is that it has been playingtogether for a while now, some have even played together at the junior leveland complement each other quite well.
The year 2018 will bring more importantevents with it, as the Commonwealth Games will be played at Gold Coast inAustralia in the first quarter, followed by the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta,Indonesia.
The year will end with the Hockey World Cupin Bhubaneswar (India) in November.
The Indian men’s hockey team’s recentperformances at international competitions have rekindled the hope that thecurrent team will be able to bring back the Golden Years that Indian Hockeywitnessed. The Indian think-tank is not just blooding young players but alsobringing a fresh set of ideas to the play field in order to achieve itstargets.
The belief in the team comes as much fromits current form as it does from its past glory. It’s a positive sign forIndian Hockey that the new generation of players have the intensity to matchinternational standards.
