CT2016: Time for India to get out of the Jinx
Champions Trophy is one tournament in which Indian hockey has no ‘past glory’. Instead, it has a jinx. The jinx – unlike Australia which had a jinx at Olympics Gold – pertains to bronze. If India can overcome the jinx in London, it will boost its morale at Rio. It is a must if India is to be taken seriously in Rio by its hockey crazy masses.
Indian men had many wonderful matches in the run up to the knock out stages in the history of Champions Trophy, but buckled at semis and then notably in the bronze medal matches.
Only bronze India obtained in 1982 was when the Champions Trophy was played in its original format, a simple round-robin.
In the knock-out era of CT, India has chance at bronze on seven occasions.
It came as a cropper in all.
The latest was at Bhubneswar two years ago.
Home crowd, and some turn around matches en route did not help India to get the elusive bronze. Australia walked away with 1-2 result.
On many occasions, its Pakistan which lost to India in the league, that unnerved India at crucial third place play off.
Nothing fortifies the point than what transpired when India hosted Champions Trophy on its soils twice.
India was almost sure of making it to the first CT final when it engaged Pakistan in its last pool match at Chennai. On the same venue when it outplayed Pakistan in the South Asian Games, it faltered.
New stadium in Chennai witnessed India falter at 16 penalty corners and then finished 0-1.
Then Germany washed out India 0-5 to clinch the bronze the next day, one of the darkest days of Indian hockey, to say the least. Christopher Beechamann struck a beautiful hattrick in Gemany’s merriful win.
Pakistan somehow established its reputation as Indian tormentor at Bronze Matches.
Melbourne, Cologne, Amsterdam…..the list goes on.
Now, its opportune time for India to go for Gold.
Now, the chief coach Roelant Oltmans has had sufficient time to build, test and evolve each player and the team in preparation for the Rio.
He has also taken a bold decision to rest some stalwarts, instead taken with him younger lot.
The younger lot are always daring, and it is the asset.
A shot at medal is right tonic India needs to go heads held high to Rio.
India has to therefore play three crucial matches, quarterfinal, semifinal and then the medal match.
A medal at London will be a wake up call to rested seniors, some of whom are really playing less than their reputation.
London therefore offers younger lot to take on established ones indirectly.
India, being underdogs at Olympics, and Rio not being an exception, needs to do some wonders if it needs to be counted in August.
The wonder here is a simple question of playing three above mentioned knock-out matches, well.
Some of India’s bronze medal ordeal
1996: Lost to Germany 0-5
2002: Lost to Pakistan 3-4
2003: lost to Pakistan 3-4
2004: lost to Pakistan 2-3
2012: lost to Pakistan 2-3
2014: Lost to Australia 1-2