By OLYMPIAN LAZRUS BARLA

Indian Olympic teams of the past raised hopes only to fail the country. I wish this time the team reverses the trend when they participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Expectations from our national team are far higher now than has ever been. One of the reasons for higher expectations is that we are now ranked fourth on the FIH ladder. Previously, we struggled between eighth and 10th.

Olympian Lazrus Barla, Asiad gold medallist

Fourth is a creditable feat achieved after almost two decades. The public now wants results in Tokyo matching the new status. If the consistent performance our team put up in the recent past is any indication, our expectations seem genuine.

Coach Graham Reid has expressed satisfaction with the team he selected for Tokyo. This team has as many as 10 Olympic debutantes.

It’s here that I have a bit of doubt. Ten Olympic debutantes in the 16 member team doesn’t give me much confidence. The team may be fitter and faster but I feel it lacks experience which counts in bigger tournaments.

I wish all the debutantes luck, and I expect them not to crack under pressure. The Olympics is the most important sporting event, not a forum to do experiments. Having said that, I now split my views over various departments of the game.

The defence is strong but the same can’t be said of other areas. The absence of experience may be felt acutely in the frontline. Except Lalit Upadhyay and Mandeep Singh, the others are greenhorns. They will have to justify selection.

On the contrary, our women’s team look more balanced. I am personally pained at the exclusion of Namita Toppo and Lilima Minz. Both gave their best, blood and sweat and helped the team qualify for the Olympics. And now they are not in the team! Some kind of justice is done to Namita, as she will be going to Tokyo among the three travelling quota. 

It’s not just me. I think the entire state of Odisha is in pain. At the same time, it appears to me that to please our feelings two Odisha players were given deputy joint captaincy — Birendra Lakra and Deep Grace Ekka.

I disagree with the concept of two vice-captains in a team. There are other ways of recognizing and rewarding seniors in the team such as nomination for Arjuna awards. This time the parent body, Hockey India, for reasons best known to them, did not seem to consider seniority for the award. It resulted in ignoring the claims of Birendra Lakra and Deep Grace Ekka and giving the nod to juniors.

Last year Akashdeep Singh was given the Arjuna Award but was now found not good enough to find a place in the Tokyo-bound team. It raises question marks on the selection process.

As told to SATISH SHARMA