Time to cover some bitter past of our Champions Trophy fiascos
Pargat Singh led India had just then finished its Atlanta Olympic campaign, where it lost out the semis berth by a point. Had not it lost the opener tamely to the Argentineans, India would have surely made it to the semis. It was a good performance by any standard.
Three months later Champions Trophy came to India for the first time. Expectedly, except the hosts, every other country fielded a second string team. Australia, sure of next edition by virtue of the hosts, even brought its Development Team.
What India needed was a point from the last pool encounter – and it was against Pakistan — to be in the final. After Pakistan took the lead (2-1), which is ultimate score, India got 18 penalty corners to level and even wind up the match as victors. But also, goal would not come. India had to settle third in the table. It met Germany for the bronze but ended up 0-5 losers!
Champions Trophy is one arena which exposed India thoroughly in the international forums.
India had won every genre of competition in the hockey world except Champions Trophy.
It is almost proves the point that we were hardly a champion material since the Champions Trophy was put on board in the late 70s.
Champions Trophy is the only tournament of worth in the world that had been staged on synthetic turf — and India’s failure to sparkle there goes on to prove our unworthiness as an elite national team.
Take the case of 2002 to 2005 string, only time we played Champions trophy so continuously.
We entered the 2002 number after missing out from 1996, and the re-entry was possible because world ranking was not followed for the sixth team but the winner of a new tournament called Champions Challenge. Led by Baljit Singh Dhillon and trained by Cedric D’Souza, India won the inaugural Champions Challenge in the Malaysian capital.
After a spectacular victory over Pakistan, engineered by the duo of enigmatic Jugraj Singh and inimitable Dhanraj Pillay, we were, like 1996 before, fighting for bronze, which would have been a fitting thing considering the way Rajinder Singh Sr’s boys played out there in Cologne, Germany.
But, India was nowhere in the bronze match, Pakistan walked away with bronze.
Again a replica of Cologne transpired at Amsterdam a year later.
India had surrendered the bronze to Pakistan which in fact lost to India badly at 4-7 in the league.
So, India lost three bronze medal matches continuously – and it must rank something really uncompetitive to the hilt.
If the bronze was the worry in the last three attempts, further slide was waiting to happen.
India barely finished at fifth at Lahore in 2004, and then at home in Chennai, where Germany outclassed last time in the third place encounter, India ironically finished last. It won only match in the league, against Pakistan, but lost to them when they met again for the fifth place decider.
That’s why we lost the slot in the Champions Trophy since then though at Boom and Chile we came close to annex Champions Challenge titles.
Champions Trophy, to say the least, gave India only bad memories; all we have so far in 20 odd appearance is just bronze obtained way back in the early 80s.
Melbourne therefore offer India yet another chance to stand up and count.
At least now we are happy that we ensured next edition with pride – need not host or expect FIH wild card mercy to be counted among the Champions.
That is not sufficient.
India has to move further and do something they are always capable of but failed in crucial moments.
India now is a match away from CT medal, one victory either in the semis or after than can ensure that.
The nation wishes success at the semis, and by means Charlies’ boys are unbeatable.