Thankfully, Chhetri has not been Negi-ised

15th Oct 2010: 

We have grown as a country, at least in our thinking.

Take the example of today's CWG 2010 Hockey final between Ind and Aus.

Before CWG 2010, 1982 Asiad was the last grand sporting event India has hosted.

In 1982, the finals of Men's Hockey, at the same venue - Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium - Pakistan thrashed India 7-1 in almost the same fashion as Australia did today, at least as per the score line.

I don't know, they say India choked under pressure. Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi turning up to watch the match dented their mental balance. The forward line couldn't score. The defense gave the opposition too many chances. Hell fell loose on Indian Hockey that day. (That is another topic that recent victory of India over Pakistan 7-4 has been termed, by many, as a revenge after 28 years.)

When a team loses, you can't blame individual players for that. But, we being a country which likes to find villains in any debacle around us, found one on that day - Mir Ranjan Negi, the Indian Goalkeeper. The nation owes it to him for what it did to him then and thereafter.

Today, none other than Dr. Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi were present in the stadium.

We got royally thrashed by 8-0. The agony was such that with 8s to spare, Australia utilized it and scored their last goal of the match beating the whole defense comprehensively. We couldn't penetrate their circle; if we did they cleared it comfortably. Often they came in our sacred circle and went back contended. Call it whatever, India failed in all departments.

India has shown a lot of character in this tournament. Beating Pakistan, and then England, India has shown that they are willingly taking a baby step forward in World Hockey.

Yes, within a matter of few days, the expectations went very high. Although, thinking rationally India hardly had a chance in today's finals - Baring a couple of upsets, Australia has beaten everyone in the 2 years with huge margins and has not lost any tournament either - but the fans of the home team wanted just a bit more than silver.

Had India just replicated their performance against England of the other day, it would have been a very different looking score today.

Anyhow, we just didn't lose, we lost without putting up a fight that any event Finals deserve.

So, it's almost the same finish as that of 1982 Asiad Hockey Finals? Then, why didn't we find one villain in Bharat Kumar Chetri today?

One may argue that those days the passion for Hockey was very high, hence the emotions ran very high, hence the desperation to crucify one individual.
To that I would say if it was a packed stadium that day, today it was an even more packed stadium - the capacity of the renovated stadium is much more. Today, a lot of people who wouldn't follow Hockey otherwise kept track of what was happening in today's match. Today is the last day of CWG 2010 and India is in close contest with England for the 2nd position in medal tally must have contributed to that interest surely.

So, one can't argue that Hockey was not being followed by as many people as those days. Passion was certainly running very high, today.

I tend to believe that one big leap India has taken in its 'thinking' has been after Delhi World Cup 2010. Everyone saw in front of their eyes where World Hockey has reached. Previously if people used to say, "They (players) don't play well, haar ke aate hain har jagah", they now say, "We are far behind in World Hockey."

Going by our expectations, which we attach to every sporting event in which India participates, I would say we got thoroughly thrashed in the World Cup (winning only 1 match, against Pakistan). However, very interestingly, following the World Cup, I didn't read in any newspapers for a long time that India fared poorly. Most of the voices almost emphasized: In the World Hockey exhibition, there is a long way to go for us.

So, say thanks to the World Cup for bringing change to our mindset or call it progressive thinking or you may say we have moved on from our past, but one thing remains for sure, Chetri not being crucified after today's game is a very healthy sign in Indian Hockey, both for its fraternity and it's fans.

We have started to accept that our team didn’t play well. We are certainly moving forward...

A very special moment to see India beat England

Post Ind-Aus match, Jose Brasa said that we are best team at the practice and worst team in matches - I kind of believed in what he said. But now, for sure, he will agree that his lads have delivered many lessons that he taught. However, if he says there is more to come, we are surely waiting for that treat.

Beating Pakistan 7-4 in a jam-packed, all-sold out stadium was special but by storming into the CWG Finals outplaying England, Indians have knocked at the doors of top-level World Hockey. No development teams, no injured players, no last minute drop outs, no suspensions, we don’t have any reason to downplay the victory of our team yesterday.

It’s almost impossible to beat a top-notch country like England. It was not fluke but a fiercely contested battle. Englishmen never gave it up until the last second of extra time and so didn’t India. Although, Bharat Chhetri’s save in the shootout was priceless but it’s heartening to see people talking more about Indian team’s rejuvenated performance.

From the traditional mindset of defense is the work of full-backs and half backs to the more recent principle of full team defending an opponent’s attack, India has made a big progress in modern Hockey. Sardara Singh, otherwise a playmaker in the mid-field in his entire Hockey career, in the defense line is an endorsement of the fact that contemporary Hockey is about challenging oneself. Mahadik’s improvement of his mistakes from the previous games is a commendable effort.

The Dutch can’t claim anymore that Indians play position based Hockey so it’s easy to mark them. Take this example of yesterday’s game: A Vikram Pillay diving from nowhere in the ‘D’ to deflect a long cross pass from Sandeep Singh almost from the half line.

Mid-fielders playing like crazy attackers, defenders coming down to the midfield and forwards reaching out to help their defense line, only exemplifies the concept of ‘Total Hockey’ recently embraced by Indians under their Spanish coach.

Certainly, gone are the days of wild hits into the circle with no takers.

After pushing the ball for PC, the way Sarvanjit Singh comes and stands to the left side of the post – he can’t be practically marked at this time – depicts that India is ‘thinking’. It wasn’t that England was short of ideas. During their PC variation – by which they scored the 2nd and 3rd goal - they caught an otherwise brilliant Chhetri, short of ideas, movement and reaction time.

Indian story doesn’t stop here: 4 on 4 marking in the Indian circle as the English attacker enters the top of the D only to find Prabodh Tirkey who did nothing but only implemented a point from basics of Hockey. Result: Dangerous looking attack confidently foiled followed by a counter attack.

It’s not only this, Indian athleticism has blossomed, the team movement in the midfield, flanks and the circle is so fast that it really put the otherwise very stable, very strong defense, resilient English team under pressure.

Long accurate passes, neat dodges, very little solo Hockey, least dribbling, changing flanks, you name a technique where Indians were criticized before and they look promising now.

Going down 1-3 and then recovering to give a gripping finish to the match is a reminder of the fact that it’s needs time and effort to reach such a stage. Not playing with heart but with strategy as well is something Indian team is putting across to it viewers and critics. It is these things that speak volumes of hard work by coaching staff headed by Brasa.

For the moment, Brasa, with his efforts, ideas and professionalism, has won the hearts of many fans who have overloaded him with their expectations.

Australia is reining World Champion and they almost look invincible. Pakistan stopped them 1-0 a few days back. If we can even match up our yesterday’s performance who knows what the final score board may read and I may get down to writing another intensely felt blog like this.

Whatever the results may be but CWG semi-finals between India v England will certainly make it to the Classics category and a Hockey fan like me will take pride to say, “Yes, I didn’t miss it.”