Dhaka evoke mixed feeling for Indian hockey

When a chronicler thinks of Dhaka in the hockey context, what must strike him tellingly is difficult to say. The city offered India telling victory and also telling blow. Around the same time Pullela Gopi Chand, who mentored Saina Newal and PV Sindhu, both Olympic medallist, won his All England Badminton Championship, around the same time VV Laxman set the Kolkata turf on fire against Australia to win a historic cricket test, Indian hockey players silently silenced Pakistan in a tie-break to win an invitational tournament, Prime Minister Cup. 26 years ago, on the same turf, Indian men lost the Asia Cup title to Pakistan, but their misconduct against Japan umpire led to the nation touch nadir within a year as a repercussion.

Let us explore Indian hockey expedition that had taken place in Dhaka ever since the nation was born in late 1971.

Dhaka, then known as Dacca, is the birthplace of Pankaj Gupta, the first all round sports administrator of undivided Indian continent. He was involved as Manager and Coach of India’s first four Olympic winning Indian men’s hockey teams.

Competitively, Bangladesh did not organize many events on its soils since the new nation came into being in the early 1970s.

But the one it staged still rankles in the Indian mind. Dhaka Asia Cup held 31 summers ago changed the Indian hockey for almost two decades.

In 1985, India and Pakistan played their Asia Cup final third time on trot, but an umpiring decision that gave a goal to Pakistan which sealed the MM Somaya’s first gold in the new genre of competition went up in smoke. The event was played on the grass grounds where nowadays Bangabandhu football stadium stands next to Moulana Bashini hockey stadium.

There was an assault on ‘ignorant’ umpire from Japan, who had to be stretched out from the field, perhaps first and last time an umpire faced ‘forced exit’ on international stage.

Pakistan won the Gold by the slenderest of margins, but six months later the FIH announced suspension of five men from the team for the misconduct including captain MM Somaya.

Those were the days when such matters are decided by the FIH, not by the Technical Directors as of now.
MM Somaya, Rajinder Singh, goalie Romeo James had to thus miss out next year’s world cup, where India for the first time finished last.

Its Dhaka effect, one can say.

On positive side, Prime Minister Cup that the Capital city hosted 15 years ago, gave the Indians moments of happiness.

Led by Punjab Police’s inside forward Baljeet Singh Dhillon, the team won all the three pool matches much like Pakistan on the other pool. India overwhelmed Egypt 7-1 in the semis, Pakistan over Japan 5-0. Thus the summit clash presented both the Asian giants, and fittingly the match went extra mile. In fact, Pakistan led by Ahmad Alam, was just three minutes away from famous victory, but in the 67th minute veteran Dilip TIrkey converted a penalty corner to stretch the match to extra time where captain Dhillon converted India’s sudden death stroke to get the crown.

On the same city, which has grown leap and bounds since then economically, Indian colts led by a tribal star Nilam Sanjeeb Xess will take on Pakistan on Thursday in the 4th Sub-Junior Asia Cup.

What kind of history the Xess led Indian colts will do here will be known in a couple of days