Home Advantage: Fans Go All-Out For India

Bhubaneswar: “You only live once but if you play hockey, once is enough,” read a placard at Kalinga Stadium here on Saturday evening. With the house jam-packed for the India versus Canada tie, it was a sight to behold when the host won 5-1 and entered the quarterfinals. The Men in Blue were impressive but equally impressive was the crowd, cheering loud all through.

Pedro, a hockey fan from Spain, was wearing a Tricolour headband and cheered as loud for India as the city denizens. “I used to play hockey in Spain. I was also a coach for some time. I have been to India 15-20 times to explore this game. I believe, the hockey played in India is not just for show. It is more real and rooted which is why I support India. I love hockey,” he said.
In the second half of the game, he spotted the Indian youngsters waving the national flag. He joined them in the fun and was shouting slogans like “Jeetega Bhai Beetega, India Jeetega” and “Vande Mataram”.

The young hockey-lover left for home on Sunday as he has some work, but wished India the best before returning to Spain.

During the match an Indian youth wearing his ‘leheriya’ turban and sporting a big moustache cheered the loudest. “I just completed my graduation and being a football player myself, I understand the effort put in, in any sport. Hockey is an interesting game and India is doing really well. More power to our team and the nation,” he said.

The game saw a splendid fourth quarter as India hit four goals, much like a scene taken out from a Bollywood movie. Lalit Upadhyay made India proud with his brace and so did Odisha’s Amit Rohidas, who converted a penalty corner into a goal. It was after India’s first goal that expectations went up and when Canada managed a goal, the fans kept roaring loud for goals!

One of them, Varun Mohapatra, who is an international silver-medalist in kickboxing and a basketball player, has his exams going on but for him “supporting India is more important right now.” The under-graduate student said, “It is electrifying and I love the energy here. I look forward to watching more matches and cheering for India. Hopefully, India will lift the World Cup.”