K. ARUMUGAM

The Indian women did an encore of their Tokyo epic. The Navneet Kaur-Vandana Katariya combo struck a goal in a keenly contested FIH Pro League match at the Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela, Odisha, on Saturday. The 34th-minute strike went unanswered right through the hour-long encounter.

The Tokyo quarter-final victory over Australia just three summers ago, also 1-0, breathed a whiff of fresh air into Indian women’s hockey but the failure to make the 2024 Paris Olympics from the qualifying tournament in Ranchi last month has cast a pall of gloom. The win will remain etched in the memory of the thousands fortunate to witness it at the plush venue and may come as a soothing balm for the pain of missing the bus to the French capital.

Remarkably, it also broke a 28-year drought when it came to beating Australia in India.

Coach late MK Kaushik at halftime of Indira Cup 1996

The legendary Richard Charlesworth was in New Delhi in 1996 guiding his squad ‘Charlie’s Angels’ who ruled the roost at the time in the Indira Gandhi International Gold Cup which ran until 2005. His team, as expected, won the Cup beating South Korea in the final — a repeat of the Atlanta Olympic final — but it was by no means an unbeaten run to the top podium.

It was MK Kaushik’s team who clipped Charlie Angels’ wings with a 3-0 victory in the pool stage.

Observed Charlesworth in his classic ‘The Coach: Managing for success’: “The Hockeyroos completed their best unbeaten streak of 41 matches during 1995-1996.”

The touring Australian team had in its rank Alyson Annan (presently coaching China), Katrina Powell, now chief coach of Australia — she scored a brace in the final — and other such stars such as Jenny Morris, Claire Michell Taverner, Kate Starre, Linda Harvey, Kelley Free, Kate Sage and Bianca Netzler among others.

The Australians of 1996 had completed a Grand Slam of titles – the World Cup, Olympics, and Champions Trophy.

The Indian squad had in its ranks Pritamrani Siwach, Sita Gossain, Manjinder Kaur, Sandeep Kaur, Aleyamma Mathews, Sumrai Tete, Helen Mary, Amandeep Kaur, Kamla Dalal, Ferdina Ekka, Helen Mary, Surajlata Devi, Nidhi Khullar, Mariestella Tirkey, BM Geeta.

It is worthwhile to note Indian women visited Australia in the early 40s and thereafter there used to be some return visits too.