Tokyo 2020: Indian Hockey Rediscovers Itself

Languishing on the sidelines for four decades, Indian hockey  turned a new leaf in the Tokyo Olympics. Though the team failed to qualify for the final of the men’s championship despite a valiant show, it regained its rightful place on the game’s global podium by entering the semi-finals for the first time in 41 years.

That India lost the semi-final tie to Belgium in a rousing contest is beside the point. But the team rediscovered itself at the Oi Hockey Stadium. Moreover, what came as a pleasant surprise was the grit and determination displayed by the women’s team, playing in Olympics only for the second time, as it downed much-fancied Australia 1-0 in the quarter-final to gatecrash into the semi-finals. It was a double bonanza with the men’s and women’s teams qualifying for the last four stage.

India won an Olympic medal, a bronze, for the first time since 1980, beating a strong Germany 5-4 in a rip-roaring encounter. Indian hockey was back on the world stage.

Prior to that in the 1972 Munich Olympics India qualified for the men’s semi-finals but was defeated by arch-rivals Pakistan 2-0 to finish third.

True, India won its eighth hockey gold medal in the 1980 Moscow Olympics but it lacked sheen because the big guns of the game, including Pakistan, Australia, Netherlands and Germany, did not participate after 80 countries led by USA boycotted the games to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan the previous year.
In a truncated competition, only six teams figured in men’s hockey and played in a round robin format with the top two teams qualifying for the final. India beat Spain 4-3 to win its eighth Olympic hockey gold. But the medal lacked lustre.

The closest India came to qualifying for the hockey semi-finals next was in the 2000 Sydney Olympics when it needed to defeat Poland in its last pool game. India was leading 1-0 against the opponent till the fag end of the game. But Poland equalized a couple of minutes before the hooter throwing cold water on India’s aspirations. India finished third in the group and lost out on a semi-final berth.

With Australia, Germany and Netherlands, and subsequently Belgium coming along as hockey powerhouses, India and Pakistan, known for their classical game and artistry, faded away with time. In fact, Pakistan did not even qualify for the Rio and Tokyo games. India’s classical game, many experts said, was no longer suited to the demands of modern hockey which had undergone a plethora of changes including in rules. The grassy turf had yielded place to synthetic surfaces while the 70 minute game had been reduced to 60 divided into four quarters.

The halcyon days when India dominated world hockey beginning 1928 Amsterdam Olympics for more than three and half decades, winning the gold seven times (only Pakistan beat India in the 1960 Rome Olympics final). The golden run came to an abrupt end in Mexico (1968) when India lost 1-2 to Australia for the first time in the semi-final. It was a heart-breaking moment for lovers of the game in India.

India’s slide in the international arena begun while Australia announced its arrival on the world stage. The Aussies have since progressed to dominate the game relentlessly with Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Belgium emerging as strong contenders. Hockey got a bigger window when the World Cup was introduced in 1971. But every four years the Olympic Games was staged, our eyes were firmly fixed on the hockey arena.

In spite of the slide, the Indian team performed creditably in the first World Cup held at Barcelona in 1971 when it moved into the semi-finals only to lose to traditional rivals Pakistan 1-2. The team did reach the final in the next World Cup at Amsterdam in 1973 but lost to Netherlands in a tie-breaker. But it went one better winning the third World Cup at Kuala Lumpur in 1975 defeating Pakistan 2-1. The hope in the game was rekindled. The team boasted of a number of fabulous players including Ashok Kumar (son of the legendary Dhyan Chand), Ajitpal Singh, M P Ganesh, Michael Kindo, V J Phillips, Harbinder Singh, Aslam Sher Khan and Surjit Singh. The victory in Kuala Lumpur was India’s last hurrah as it began faring miserably in subsequent Olympics and the World Cups.
In the 1976 Montreal Olympics, India finished seventh, a new low while New Zealand emerged the surprise champions. When India lifted the gold again in Moscow (1980), sports lovers were over the moon amidst celebrations. I remember PTI’s Chief Sports Reporter Jagannadha Rao reporting the final match from Moscow with much excitement. “India has done it,” read the first sentence in the report. An Olympic gold is an Olympic gold after all. But deep down an empty feeling persisted in the knowledge that we did not compete with the best in the world.

The biggest takeaway from the Tokyo Games will be India’s resilience. The team played well in the first match against New Zealand winning 3-2 in a close encounter. The next encounter against the Aussies was a nightmare, bringing back dark memories of the 1982 Asian Games final against Pakistan which India lost 1-7, the same margin by which the team lost to the Aussies this time. It was a disaster as there was no coordination among the defence, midfield and attack. The Australians virtually toyed with the Indians as they scored at will. It was a pathetic sight when the Indians tumbled out of the pitch like zombies when the whistle blew. One thought, India’s battle had ended. Now they would have no strength, physical or moral, to take up the battle. Coach John Reid, visibly crestfallen at India’s show, must have revived the spirits in the Indian camp as the team returned to trounce Spain 3-0 in a clinical display in the next tie. It was difficult to make out that it was the same team which lost so badly to Australia in the previous match. Then the Indians proceeded to swamp Argentina, champions at Rio Olympics (2016), 3-1. In the final pool tie, India beat hosts Japan, often considered a tricky opposition, 5-3 to finish second behind Australia and qualify for the quarter-finals where they faced Great Britain, another tough rival. It was India’s time of reckoning —just one step away from the semi-final. But Manpreet Singh and his men rose like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes to get past Great Britain 3-1 to enter the top four. The country looked forward to the huge possibility of India playing in the final once again. But Belgium was too good for us. We lost 2-5. And have to wait for another day.

That the team had rediscovered itself was proved in the match against Germany for the bronze medal. Harmanpreet Singh, Rupinderpal Singh, Manpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Varun Kumar and talismanic goal tender P R Sreejesh were now operating at a much higher level. Once trailing 1-3, India bounced back to win 5-4.

There was repercussion over the selectors leaving out experienced forwards like S V Sunil and a few others for the Olympic squad. But youngsters like Gurjant Singh, Mandeep Singh and Dilpreet Singh rose to the occasion as they spread panic in the opponent’s ‘D’ justifying their inclusion in the team.

The women, led by Rani Rampal, appeared easy pushovers as they lost to Netherlands, Germany and Great Britain by wide margins at the group stage, but won two of their ties to finish fourth in the pool. The decision to allow four teams from a pool to qualify for the quarter-final enabled India to progress. They caused a huge upset when they beat Australia 1-0. But it was no fluke as Argentina had a tough time downing the Indians 2-1 in the semi-final. In the bronze medal match, India went down to Great Britain 3-4 fighting valiantly. The women  made history by entering the semi-finals for the first time in their second appearance in the Olympics.

For a single reason, Tokyo Olympics will be ever remembered, not for the bronze the men’s hockey team won, but because Indian hockey rediscovered itself and regained its rightful place on the world stage.