s2h Team
India’s men’s team put on heartening performances at the start of the year but in came the Covid-19 pandemic to halt their steady but remarkable progress en route to the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics which will now be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021. The team made a creditable start to their FIH Pro League campaign but it all came to a screeching halt as the threat from the corona virus that has claimed 1.75 million lives worldwide stifled every human pursuit. In a year ravaged by Covid-19, the men’s team, however, can still look back with a degree of satisfaction. Going into 2021, India are ranked No. 4, behind Belgium, Australia and Netherlands in that order.
Face mask is the unofficial mascot of 2020. Indian hockey was no different. (Above) Rani Rampal at airport
The women finished the year at No. 9 with the top three nations being Netherlands, Argentina and Germany. Our women were in high form in the beginning of the year, riding on the backdrop of defeating the mighty States in the Olympic Qualifying Series. But there’s even more serious business ahead, that of wresting a medal at Tokyo.
Participating at Moscow 1980, where women’s hockey made its debut, India finished fourth in a six-team field. After 36 years in the wilderness, the Indian women qualified for the Games but finished 12th and last at Rio 2016.
Rio 2016 saw the men finish a disappointing eighth but that was an improvement on 12th and last at London four years earlier. The men’s team have the burden of eight Olympic gold medals won in the past to live up to. Participating at all Olympics Games since 1928 except the 2008 edition when they failed to qualify, Tokyo held promise for the team pining for achievement and a promising start in the Pro League saw them shape as likely medal contenders.
India entered the Pro-League, an important event in 2020. Manpreet’s India also produced some scintillating show
Victory over formidable Netherlands 5-2 and 3-3 (3-1 in a shootout) was nothing short of stupendous. Gurjant Singh scored after just 13 seconds in India’s Pro League debut. The goal was voted second best in the competition so far. The next encounter against World Cup champions Belgium ended in a remarkable 2-1 win. A 2-3 defeat in the next match, however, provided a reality check. The team showed it could hold its own against any of the top guns and, after a fighting 3-4 defeat to Australia, Manpreet Singh’s boys put it across the formidable Kookaburras 2-2 (3-1) before the pandemic ground everything to a screeching halt in March.
There was something more to celebrate for India. Captain Manpreet Singh became the first Indian to win the Best Player award since the awards were incepted in 1999. The midfielder won the honour ahead of Belgium’s Arthur van Doren and Lucas Vila of Argentina, who finished second and third respectively.
Vivek Prasad
More joy for India. Vivek Prasad and Lalremsiami won the FIH Rising Stars of the Year awards for men and women respectively.
The women are not yet part of the FIH Pro League but acquitted themselves creditably on a tour of New Zealand. Led by the ever-reliable Rani Rampal, the team breezed past a New Zealand Development Squad 4-0 in their opener but narrow losses (1-2 and 0-1 to New Zealand’s national team followed. A solitary-goal victory over Olympic champions Great Britain followed and a comprehensive 3-0 win meant the team ended the tour on a high.
Both the men’s and women’s teams were then confined to the bio-bubble at the SAI Complex in Bengaluru. There, the teams began outdoor training on June 1 after a two-month lockdown hiatus.
Women hockey emerged stronger with enhanced image in 2020
Precautionary measures against the virus were strictly adhered to. Players maintained safe distance while training besides using own bottles for hydration and changing stick grips. The teams adhered to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) issued by the Sports Authority of India.
But the players’ mental health began to wilt as they worried about their families during the lockdown. Hockey India then decided to send the players on a home break in June, restarting the camp in August.
Training resumed amid a crisis. Six members of the men’s team tested positive for Covid-19. The players included captain Manpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Surender Kumar, Jaskaran Singh, Varun Kumar and Krishan Pathak. Mandeep was rushed to hospital after his oxygen level dropped below normal but subsequently recovered as did the other five thanks to timely action, treatment and quarantine.
But the Indian camp was hit by resignations by members of the coaching staff. High Performance director David John quit, so did physiotherapist David MacDonald.
Then came the resignation of analytical coach Chris Ciriello who contracted a virus which aggravated an existing skin condition. The scorer of a hat-trick in the 2014 World Cup final in which Australia beat Netherlands 6-1 put in his papers and returned home. The India junior team also suffered a reverse with chief coach, US-based Baljit Singh Saini, requesting a salary hike which was not granted.
Replacements are uncertain what with Hockey India being derecognized by the Sports Ministry along with 53 other National Sports Federations owing to a host of issues, especially those pertaining to governance.
International hockey resumed briefly in September with Pro League matches but as the pandemic showed no signs of relenting the FIH enforced another suspension of fixtures. After their last match against Australia on February 22 in the Pro League, India are set to play in the Asian Champions Trophy starting on March 21 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. After that, India resume their Pro League campaign on April 10 and 11 next year in Argentina. Great Britain come next, on May 8 and 9. India then travel to Spain to play on May 12 and 13.
They then take on Germany on May 18 and 19 before entertaining New Zealand at home on May 29 and 30. It would be a grueling schedule by any reckoning but one wagers it would hold the team in good stead for making an impact at the all-important Olympic campaign in the Japanese capital from July 23 to August 8.
India, coached by Australian Graham Reid, open against New Zealand in the men’s section, a team ranked four places below.
Other teams in India’s pool are Australia, defending champions Argentina, Spain and Japan. The top four qualify for the quarterfinals from the pool and it will be a tricky proposition. Germany, Netherlands, Great Britain, South Africa, Belgium and Canada are in the other pool.
The women, coached by Dutchman Sjoerd Marinje, face an ordeal by fire as they take on top ranked and defending World Cup champions Netherlands in their opener. Other teams in the pool are Germany, defending gold medalists Great Britain, Ireland and South Africa. Argentina, Japan, China, Spain, Australia and New Zealand form the other pool.
Tokyo holds pleasant memories for Indian hockey. The last “genuine” gold medal victory took place there and given the team’s sparkle in recent times, turning back the clock to 1964 may not exactly be a just a pure flight of fantasy.
India won the Olympic gold at Tokyo in 1964