Looking for a golden dawn?

S. Thyagarajan

Competitive hockey came on board in Tokyo in 1958. Since then its fecundity in the Asian Games fascinates the aficionados.

Interestingly, only three, Pakistan, India and Korea, have bagged the gold in the 14 editions with Pakistan cornering a maximum of eight, followed by Korea (4) and India (2).

Chroniclers often are bewildered as to why India, inarguably a dominant force, claimed just two.

It was Western Railway’s Balbir Singh’s magnificent goal in 1966 that fetched India the first gold. The next surfaced 32 years later at Bangkok, thanks to the marvellous display by Ashish Ballal of Indian Airlines under the goal in the penalty shoot out.

Only once did India miss the podium. It was in 2006 at Doha, where the campaign concluded in utter humiliation at No. 5.

A close scrutiny of the ebb and flow underlines the narrowing gap what with Korea, Malaysia, Japan and China making an authoritative impact in the eighties. Korea’s ascendancy from 1986 to a world power is in itself a shining piece of history.

The enviable Asian aesthetics symbolised by the sub-continent transformed itself into an admirable synthesis of athleticism and adeptness by the Koreans. This approach influenced the thinking of coaches in Malaysia, China and Japan.

Statistics can no more be the measuring device for evaluating the chances of the teams in contention at Incheon. The new four-quarter-format is bound to lead to unpredictable results. Understandably, there is eager expectation in the air.

It is heartening to note that India has retained the squad that figured at the recent Commonwealth Games.

Optimism of a medal stems from the incremental progress recorded in recent months in the World Cup and the CWG. Yet to determine the hue of the medal can be hazardous.
Heavy burden

Sardar Singh shoulders a heavy burden of steering a hugely talented but a terribly under-performing unit. Cohesion and consistency are the essential ingredients to court success.

This appears to be a tall order given the trend of matches played at The Hague and Glasgow.

A lot depends on the synergy and systematisation among the layers. Admittedly, goalkeeper Sreejesh is in fine fettle. He should give the pack of defenders, Raghunath, Rupinder, Kothajit, Gurubaj, Birendra and the irrepressible Sardar adequate scope to smother, innovate and improvise.

Equally important is ensuring a modicum of fluency to the frontline whose only predictability so far has been its unpredictability. It is imperative for Sunil, Akashdeep, Thimmiah and Chandi to amalgamate their proficiency to reach the target successfully. Now they need to rework the strategy for every quarter.

Pakistan is back after missing the World Cup and the CWG overcoming several complex issues on the home front that need no over elaboration here, save for stating that it is the defending champion.

Malaysia’s display in the World Cup and CWG has seriously dented its image as a medal prospect. But the team to fear most is Korea on the home ground. It is a fact that India had prevailed over both Malaysia and Korea handsomely in the World Cup but resting on that laurels can only be described foolhardy.

After the gold medal at the 1982 inaugural edition in New Delhi, the women have been striving hard to thin down the chasm against the top three — China, Korea, and Japan. A silver medal in 1998 and two bronzes (1986 and 2006) only underscore the existing gap.

The confidence level is pretty high now though the results continue to be negative causing concern.

Ritu Rani is a name to conjure with on the world scene. She leads the pack which contains six players — Deepika, Ritu Rani, Rani, Poonam Rani, Chanchan Devi, Vandana Katariya — with 100+ internationals to their credit.

The Aussie coach, Neil Hawgood, appears to have worked very hard to enhance the energy level. Not surprisingly, he anticipates an exemplary performance.

A podium finish for both men and women is in the realm of possibility.

But only a gold medal will confirm the efficacy of coaching by the Dutch stalwart, Roelant Oltmans, and the Aussie strategist, Terry Walsh, apart from the time, energy and resources spent on shaping Sardar and his set of doughty warriors for this major task.