The Hindu Business Line : Hockey woes

“The Indian Hockey Federation is taking the game to its destruction.” This statement was made in an interview to the Press Trust of India in 1993 by V. Bhaskaran, under whose captaincy India last won the Olympic hockey gold in 1980 in a truncated field. Unfortunately, he himself has been one of those who has taken Indian hockey to the position where it is now.

If one were to go by the statement of Mr K. P. S. Gill after India’s abysmal performance last week, missing a berth to the Beijing Olympics, then, one feels, there are more disappointments in store. “I will resign only after reviving Indian hockey,” Mr Gill thundered. But if he couldn’t all these years, since taking over at the helm of the country’s hockey affairs in 1995, can he now?

Unimpressive show

Looking at the Indian team’s performance since Mr Gill took over in 1995, it has never finished above the seventh position in either the Olympics or the World Cup. The only solace during his reign in the last dozen years or so is the fourth place earned in the Champions Trophy from 2002 to 2004.

One of the shortcomings of Mr Gill’s leadership is his failure to acknowledge the fact that Indian hockey now needs a good foreign coach. International hockey has changed drastically even since astro-turf was introduced during the Montreal Olympics in 1976. We did get a foreign coach, but no one knew based on what credentials the German, Mr Gerard Rachel, was roped in.

In the last few years, attempts have been made to get corporate sponsors, and the Premier Hockey League has been introduced. No doubt these have improved things for players a bit but have in no way proved to be a panacea to lift Indian hockey from the rut it is in.

Strategy lacuna

One wonders if the coaches draw up any strategy when they get ready to face a team in a crucial encounter. For instance, in the Olympic qualifier tournament in Santiago, Chile, when the third goal was scored at the death in the league match by Great Britain, not a single Indian player was there either on the goal line or to take on Robert Moore who scored the winner.

Even a local league coach will tell you that when there is an attack from the left side, those in the right will have to fall back. Where did the right half and full backs or those who were to man the positions go? The most surprising aspect is that despite this, the mistake was repeated in the finals, helping Britain go 1-0 up in the fourth minute.

Contrast this with the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, where India won the gold. Then, a few players were specifically asked to mark key forwards of the South Korean team.

There are hardly a couple of forwards in the teams from Europe and it is always surprising why no strategies are drawn to have them marked.

Corporate support

Many questions with regard to tactics and strategies have remained unanswered over the years and that’s why the demand for a foreign coach is gathering strength. Unfortunately, it is under Bhaskaran we failed to make the semi-finals of the Asian Games in Oman last year and with that, possibly, the chance of booking a berth to the Olympics.

Cricket is drawing great response from the corporates. If only they take a more lenient view of the players’ current performance and forget immediate gains, Indian hockey would not only survive but glitter too.

M. R. SUBRAMANI