New Indian Express: Hopes no more on walking sticks

By Swaroop Swaminathan

JOAQUIM Carvalho surely wouldn’t be able to keep his job. Not after his role in India’s shambolic campaign to qualify for the 2008 Olympics. They lost to Great Britain in the final of a qualifying tournament in Chile and Carvalho was one of the first ones to put down his papers. But he had a message before walking out. “Failure to qualify is not the end of the road,” he had said. “But we must start from scratch.”

They tried but old habits die hard. In India’s case, they didn’t die. They manifested itself in other ways. In a way, even when the side qualified for the London Games in 2012, they were poorer than in 2008. When they weren’t even at the Olympics. Played: 6. Lost: 6. Goals for: 8. Goals against: 21.

This time, Bharat Chettri, India’s captain, sang from the hymnsheet as Carvalho four years earlier. “We need to go back and start from scratch,” he had said. “Everything has gone wrong and we need to have a serious look at ourselves and see what can be done.”

Finally, everyone decided to start from ground zero. That included promoting PR Sreejesh in place of Chettri. Expectations, so often the bane of a team filled with history, was tempered down. Discipline was gradually advertised as the new sexy. Individual flair was encouraged but not to supersede the team at any point. If the loss to South Africa four years ago was Indian hockey’s groundhog day, their loss to Australia in the Champions Trophy final at the same venue on Friday was potentially a day that catapulted Indian hockey into the future. Yes, India lost. But second place at an FIH event shouldn’t be sniffed at. It’s the first time they played in an FIH final since the 1980 Olympics. A time when most parents of the current players wouldn’t even have met each other.

Signs of consistency

Taken in isolation, you may call this success as flash in the pan, but in the wider context, this fits neatly into the narrative of India being one of the most improving sides over the last two years. Asian Games gold, series win in Australia, fourth place at the Hockey World League Semifinal and a bronze at the Hockey World League Final all came India’s way in 13 months. That elusive appearance in the Champions Trophy final followed.

The wins, though, haven’t been the most pleasing of virtues for Adam Sinclair. “The transfer of the ball on the ground is heartening,” the former international told Sunday Standard. “Shifting the ball from side to side is there, which was lacking. Then first time passing, all facets of modern hockey. That’s not all. If there are no opportunities to pass in a certain zone, the players come out and look for other options.”

Strategic planning

Off the field developments have been significant too. Selection is done keeping the larger picture. For the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, the likes of Sreejesh and Akashdeep Singh were rested. At the Champions Trophy, Rupinderpal Singh and Sardar Singh were rested. Planning keeping in mind what lies ahead – an hitherto unheard of concept in India. “In some of the teams top players were not playing. Some teams were playing with a plan B keeping plan A for the Olympics. We also did. We never used to do that before.”

Not just resting players. Even the identity of opponents. Between December 2015 and July 2016, India will have played every team that will be at the Olympics bar Brazil, who are not expected to get out of Group A. That is a subtle nod to the importance of data and scouting missions you have of your opponents.

The unity within the squad is also heartening. Harmanpreet Singh was the standout performer for India in London – he bagged the young player of the tournament award – but Rupinder, who like Harmanpreet, is a drag-flicker, only had good words. “Drag-flickers have been doing well. They have done a great job and so have the rest of the squad,” he said. “The boys have been doing well for a while and the past few years have seen some major steps taken by us.”

There is also a school of thought that says a few factors aided India’s cause at the Champions Trophy. Netherlands’ absence the biggest. But V Baskaran didn’t have much time for that. “These questions shouldn’t be taken into consideration. If someone is not coming, that isn’t our botheration. They are the losers. If you want to bring in ‘if’ everywhere, then nothing is possible.”

Continue with the same momentum and you might find people tweaking that statement a bit. Impossible is nothing.