Two disastrous world cup campaigns that India had in the recent times thankfully do not seem to dampen the hockey spirit back home in India.
Further fortunately, we did not see the irritating cycle of sacking coaches repeat this time.
Perhaps the shock 11th finish of both men and women at the world cups, shook the Federation bosses so bad that they thought for once sacking would not solve the problems that the country faces right now.
Not just Vasudevan Baskaran stayed but also his Moscow Olympic team mate M.K. Kaushik. Both are at present busy in preparing teams for the Asian Games.
At such a time leading Australians stars, men and women, who reached the finals at Monchengladbach and Madrid, are considering retirements due to lack of funds for training, Indian are announcing programmes after programmes to pep up domestic hockey.
The good news is that the Indian Hockey Federation will not sacrifice the age old Nationals at the cost of Premier Hockey League.
A leading Hindi newspaper group – Dainik Baskar — has decided to sponsor the National Championships for five years. This is really a good news. For, ever since KPS Gill and Co took the charge of Indian hockey, this prestigious championship has been neglected, held only four times against the possible 14.
When the ESPN-Star Sports Television Channel came out with the PHL a couple years back, it was felt that the Nationals will be buried once for all, though the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh sponsored an edition at Hyderabad in 2005.
With Dainik Baskar’s entry, safety of National is assured at least for five years.
Secondly, the PHL will be held, that too, in two places. The press conference organized by the ESPN on Friday was well attended, though the IHF’s one on Thursday hardly drew half a dozen journalists.
For their part, women will be organizing their Federation Cup at Puliventla, near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh somewhere in February next year.
The point one should not miss however is so much effort is still in place to keep hockey activities going.
Everybody wants our hockey to improve and stay at a benchmark level, say, world’s top six at least.
The fact that the IHF President left the ESPN press conference so that he can meet another sponsors is further proof of hockey’s market vibrancy in India.
Perhaps in no other countries so much hockey activities would have taken place as did in India, despite two flop show at the world cup.
Those players who wear Indian colours should read the Nation’s pulse and put their heart into the job they were supposed to excel. They have to thank the nation for the unrelenting support it is extending to hockey, decades after decades despite the fact that the players have been under-performing.