K. ARUMUGAM

India’s hockey glory, which largely refers to its feats in the Olympic sphere, doesn’t hold for the Asian Games. Whereas India won all the Olympic finals it entered barring once in 1960, its ‘finals’ show at Asian Games has been quite the reverse.

Except once in 1964 when it won the title authoritatively, it drew other two finals (1998 & 2014) and thus managed to get gold thrice.

Three golds out of ten finals (including 1958 where India-Pak league match which was almost the final), speaks for, if at all, the glorious underperformance of ‘glorified’ India at Asian level.

It was Pakistan in the grass era, and then South Korea and Malaysia who alternatively made India to struggle.

Despite many stride it made in the global arena, India’s Asian hockey record is poor. 

With all its mighty spending of resources by hiring foreign coaches, initiating Hockey India League that gave India players huge experience, India underperformed at the Asian Games.
Malaysia dashed the Indian hopes despite having a foreign coach in Jose Brasa. And then when Harendra Singh’s team appeared unstoppable what with record breaking victory margin, same Malaysia broke the Indian fortunes in the semis at Jakarta.
The point is whether foreign coach or Indian, the story remained the same.
India has been the top seeded team in the in the last 15 years, yet except 2014, it failed in three Asian Games.
Present Indian team need to pull up its socks and live upto its status of being the World No.3
From the point of view of Indian sports perspective, Asian games comes second only to Olympics. Thats why perhaps hockey’s profile did not improve among the masses.
Therefore, Harmanpreet Singh’s team need to muscle their game, push for gold.
Malaysia, Japan and South Korea can turn the applecart of any team on their day.
Japan’s victory in the last Asiad, South Korea’s redemption in the latest Asia Cup number and stunning Malaysian game in the latest Asian Champions Trophy, things might turn out ugly for India if it cannot maintain its all round superiority.