As India makes its way to the final of the Junior Asia Cup, to be played this Wednesday, Hyd Times catches the hockey action that is drawing the crowds to the Gachibowli stadium

It’s time for the ‘Chak De India’ anthem, heretofore usurped by cricket to be restored to hockey. The boys wielding the sticks, nay, not on 22 yards, but on Astroturf, have arrived and how. Their flamboyant game and spirit would do SRK’s screen-avatar coach Kabir Khan proud, as they beat Pakistan in the semi-final to storm into the final of the Junior Asia Cup. Come Wednesday, and team India, taking on Japan at the Gachibowli stadium, will have a lot to play for. The memories of Karachi four years back, where they won the tournament last time round, will certainly give the boys a healthy sense of deja vu, as they look to defend the title and ensure an automatic berth in the Junior World Cup.

For all you hockey-lovers in the city, this is the game you’d want to be there for, too see the young guns of Indian hockey in action. For all the rest of you sports lovers who don’t yet know who Diwakar Ram is, this is the right opportunity for a baptism in the national sport.

If crowd-turnouts are anything to go by, you sure as hell can’t deny that hockey and this particular tournament have generated interest. P Kanthaian, Secretary of Hyderabad Hockey Association and the Manager of the team, tells us, “The turnout for the match against Pakistan was encouraging and it’s certainly good for the game. It also encourages the players to do better, and they’re geared up to go all-out in the final.” And while the limited seating capacity at Gachibowli is still a constraint, the matches featuring India have seen people in good numbers. The lawns on the sides, in addition to the stands were almost full for the India-Pak clash. And the organisers keeping the entry to all the matches free is one of the best things to happen to the sport, allowing its popularity to rise at a time when the team is doing well. Ask coach SP Bansal if he’s satisfied with the team’s performance and he gushes, “Of course the team has done very well. That’s why we’re in the finals, and clearly the favourites to win the tournament as well.” And while free entry and calling schools and young hockey players to watch the game is part of the reason for the good crowd, you can’t deny
that performance is the biggest draw for any sport. “Team India’s success is one of the prime reasons why people are again taking notice of hockey. Once you start winning, you automatically attract audiences,” opines Bansal. The coach also tells us that the excitement of playing in the finals is keeping the boys all geared up, and that a good show here would also mean reckoning for the senior national side for the good performers.

Cricket might yet be the TRP generator, but on Wednesday, as captain Gurbaz Singh and the deadly dragflicker Diwakar Ram, hero of India’s semi-final game, take position alongside teammates, there will be silent prayers in their hearts. Here’s hoping those prayers reap the germ for hockey’s place under tomorrow’s sun.