DayAfter: Salute our soldiers

All is s not well with the Indian Hockey Federation. Yet, despite the uncertainty, our hockey stars remain unfazed. The Ajlan Shah triumph shows that the rays of hope are heralding a new dawn. But, let’s not go overboard, says Diganta Guha

In May, 2008, K Jothikumaran, general secretary of the Indian Hockey Federation disgraced the hockey fraternity when he was caught on camera taking bribes to select a player for the Indian team. And it resulted in the suspension of the IHF by the Indian Olympic Association. It couldn?t have got worse than that.

Almost a year down the line, our senior hockey team has done the country proud by winning the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup after 13 years, defeating Malaysia 3-1.

The sense of pride and ecstasy on the faces of the players was evident after the win. And why shouldn’t it be? Despite the administrative hiccups within the IHF with controversies after controversies damaging the reputation of the age-old game in the country, it does go to the credit of our champions that they have managed to keep the Indian flag fluttering atop. Mind you, we failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics last year. It?s a credit that only our players deserve and nobody else. Let’s make it very clear at the outset.

But, do we have reasons enough to go overboard? Does this really signify that the process of rejuvenation in Indian hockey has already started? Honestly speaking, there is a mixed view on this. There is one section which is elated, but at the same time, there are people who don’t want to get carried away. Let?s explore.

Guarded elation

It?s true that India?s triumph in Malaysia is encouraging. And it is a continuity of the successful run that senior Indian hockey side is enjoying in the year 2009. Before the Ajlan Shah victory, India beat New Zealand 2-0 in the four-match Test series, emerged runners-up in the Punjab Gold Cup and drew the four-match series against Argentina 2-2. On the basis of statistics, the sun seems to be shining brightly, but hockey experts do not want to have the final word on the recent success. The general impression is that of guarded elation. Journalist Vijay Lokapally is of the opinion that our recent performances are a step in the right direction, but we should not go ga-ga over them. Agrees hockey expert K Arumugam, who runs the website stick2hockey.com, “There should be a sense of occasional joy, but we shouldn’t go overboard. Frankly speaking, the tournaments we are talking about aren’t of very high standards and hence they don’t really reflect in your rankings.” And he adds that our team hasn’t had a taste of the best of players in recent times.

Even in such tournaments, the loopholes have been exposed at critical junctures. The defeat against Germany in the Punjab Gold Cup and the two losses to Argentina in the Test series have led critics to wonder what happens once these sides field their full strength in major tournaments like the World Cup or Champions Trophy. Senior India coach Harendra Singh is positive. “It’s good that people are criticising us. This will only keep us on our toes and enable us to perform better with time.” At the same time, he stands by his team. On the question of facing weaker oppositions, he says, “If that is so, then how come we are getting the better of teams like Pakistan and New Zealand higher ranked than we are. Nobody is talking about that,” he counters. India is currently ranked 10th in the world.

Where does the problem lie?

There is another reason why such apprehensions are being expressed. One view point, as Lokapally points out, is that there are not enough replacements for seniors. Somebody like Dilip Tirkey is performing, but he does not have too many years left in his career. Singh says the basic problem lies with the catch from the grass-root levels. ?We have a bunch of talents, but I am not happy with coaching in the grass-root level. We have to polish the skills of the players in the camps since they are deprived of a proper coaching at the junior level. The government has to take more initiatives.?

Apart from this, the way the players are chosen is also not correct as Arumugam points out. There is no development team between Under-21 and the India seniors, he says” And this creates the problem,” he adds. Singh is of the view that it is important to identify the right players and this is what is called vision. He has already presented a blue print for improving hockey standards to the IHF and he hopes to take it further. There is a dearth of good academies in the country with modern facilities, which is a complaint that Singh raises. But junior India coach A K Bansal informs that already 15-20 academies have come up and ?Even the Tata Football Academy is eager to start a new hockey academy, which is a positive sign.? But there is a need for more professional academies all over the country, as Singh says.

The positive side

We have all this while been critical of the overall set up in Indian hockey. But there is definitely a ray of hope. Everything cannot happen overnight. It takes time and despite odds, our performance is worth lauding. “Self- belief is important and I am trying to instil that in my boys. Inside the dressing room we should not think too much about the opponents. We should bank on our potential. Let the opponents think about us,” says the senior India coach. Even the harshest of critics say that the recent success has injected some energy into Indian hockey. There is a need to make a proper plan for these big tournaments so that the team is prepared for the World Cup coming up in 2010 that India is slated to host. “Choosing the right tournament is important so that the players get a taste of world class hockey,” adds Arumugam. Bansal, says there are some good players who can make it to the senior side, but ?We don?t want to rush through things as the Junior World Cup is slated for June. We need them for the World Cup before we can induct them into the senior side.?

Bansal names players like Innocent Kullu, Diwakar Ram and Pramod Kumar who have shown a lot of promise. The senior team according to many is a well mix of youth and experience ? on one hand, there are the senior pros like Dilip Tirkey with more than 400 international caps, Ignace Tirkey, Adrian D?Souza and Arjun Hallappa. And on the other hand, there are SV Sunil and captain Sandeep Singh among others who provide the perfect mix. Bansal adds, that once Diwakar Ram comes into the senior team, there will be two drag flickers in the side – Ram and Sandeep. Currently, the pool of 25 players for the senior side is good enough as Arumugam says. But there is always room for improvements.

Why should we laud our champions?

There is a specific reason why Indian players should be given their due. The Indian Hockey Federation is passing through a transitional phase with the might of long-standing president

K P S Gill over after the Indian Olympic Association sacked him and his team last year. IHF is currently run by an ad-hoc committee. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has already told the IHF to conduct elections within six months or else, India would lose the right to host the 2010 World Cup. Leandro Negre, president FIH recently met JB Roy, president of the Bengal Hockey Federation. There is an attempt to democratise the system that has been polluted thanks to the one-man show of Gill during whose regime corruption was at its peak. Sources inform that Sahara, the sponsor of the junior and senior sides is not happy with the lack of accountability in the accounts. There is so much of nepotism around and the worst part is that there is no job guarantee for the players which is why anybody would shy away from taking up hockey as a profession, There is also a need for market forces to come forward and support hockey, says Lokapally. Insiders inform that even former players fight for plum posts within the federation.

However, with so much of uncertainty in the parent body itself, the good news is that the players are giving their best on the field. As the Indian captain Sandeep Singh said after the Azlan Cup triumph, ?It is the hard work put in by our team which we are seeing now. It is a joint effort of our coaches and the team members.? Nobody can dare to take credit away from them.

Looking ahead

Despite the instability there are attempts to head in the right direction. More international exposure is being envisaged and if we look at the international calendar, it says it all. This year there are quite a number of big tournaments coming up for the India seniors like the Asia Cup in Dubai in May, the Europe tour in August, the all-important Champions Challenge Cup in Argentina in December which is the qualifier for the Champions Trophy. Australia, Germany and Spain will be visiting India this year. So, there is a very hectic international calendar up in store. Giving it to the administrators, since the exit of Gill, Indian hockey has had a turnaround ? gold in the junior Asia Cup and silver in the Bahru Genting Cup for the juniors. Series win against New Zealand, drawn series against Argentina, silver in the Punjab Gold Cup and gold in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup for the seniors are indications of a bright future.

So, let’s celebrate, but not get lost in ecstasy. It’s time to usher in a new era of the land of Dhyan Chand.

Courtesy: DayAfter