Times of India: Rio review hockey: Expectations belied, but some progress made

By Manuja Verappa

The tweet from PR Sreejesh, captain of the Indian hockey team, after his side crashed out in the quarterfinals at Rio, was succinct. ‘Rio over… Pain remains… Sorry for letting you down’.

The expectations from his team stemmed from stellar performances in tournaments in the run-up to the Games. But the moment the curtains fell on the team’s campaign, following a 1-3 loss to Belgium in the quarters, the team came in for sharp criticism.

Regardless of the show in Rio, this Indian side has been a giant leap forward from teams of the past. The fitness levels have been high, camaraderie exceptional and skills set eye catching. Ranked No 5 in the world, India finished eighth among the 12 teams in fray. It was an improvement over their wooden spoon finish in London four years ago.
Here is a look at what went wrong and the way forward for the team.

Lack of bite in the forward line

Led by the fit and sharp SV Sunil, the forward line disappointed on many counts. On the flanks, Nikkin Thimmaiah, Ramandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh and Sunil were impressive, but on many occasions they looked clueless inside the striking circle, failing to position themselves well or losing possession. The fluency in attack was missing at key junctures. In the six games in Rio, the team scored only three field goals.

Failure to soak up pressure

While the team looked physically fit, enthusiastic and spirited, the youngsters, who were playing on the big stage for the first time, succumbed to the pressure. Players like Kothajit Singh and Surender Kumar fumbled under pressure. The Indians picked up too many cards.

The way forward

Indian hockey appears to have moved along in the right direction in the last couple of years. It is important for Hockey India to keep the continuity going and not indulge in blame games and mindless sacking of players and coaching staff.

RESULTS

GROUP STAGE: India 3 (VR Raghunath 15, Rupinderpal Singh 26, 48) bt Ireland 2; Germany 2 bt India 1 (Rupinderpal Singh 22); Argentina 1 lost to India 2 (Chinglensana 7, Kothajit K 34); The Netherlands 2 bt India 1 (VR Raghunath 37). India 2 (Akashdeep Singh 32, 40) drew Canada 2; QUARTERFINAL: Belgium 3 bt India 1 (Akashdeep Singh 14).

Hockey eves flatter to deceive

The sacking of skipper Ritu Rani in the eleventh hour did the team no favour. They went into the Games sans expectations, riding more on the euphoria of having made the cut for the first time in 36 years. Even then, some fight was expected out of Sushila Chanu and her team. But the team was found seriously wanting in spirit, speed and stamina. The team cannot complain of lack of match practice having travelled extensively over the past year. If they gained from the exposure tours, it didn’t show. Having come away with one point from the draw against Japan, it is time to get down to brass tacks.

RESULTS

GROUP STAGE: Japan 2 drew India 2 (Rani 30, Lima Minz 39); India 0 lost to Great Britain 3; India 1 (Anuradha Thokchom 59) lost to Australia 6; USA 3 bt India 0; Argentina 5 bt India 0.