What ails Indian Hockey

The Bhagavat Geeta talks about treating joy and sorrow the same, just as we should treat profit and loss with equal detachment, or indeed, victory and defeat. And yet, the national outcry in the last 2 days since the Indian men’s field hockey team lost to Britain and hence ceded its right to compete in the Olympics deserves some sympathy. Not since the 1920s has India not been in the fray. To be sure, we have systematically worked our way down the world rankings over the last 35 years or so, but this, surely is plumbing new depths. Little wonder that the nation is badly disappointed, just days after celebrating the victories of the Indian cricket team.

With Carvalho as coach, there were signs of a turnaround and the team had acquitted itself quite well during recent matches against Australia, Germany etc. There was cautious optimism that the best team would be selected, and the oft-public in-fighting that has riven Indian hockey teams over the past decade or so would be a thing of the past. But all that seems to have been a flash in the proverbial pan, as the team just could not (or at any rate, did not) perform when it was crucial for them to deliver.

The media and former hockey players (during whose time also Team India had lost much of the sparkle and sizzle associated with Indian hockey for much of the 1950s, 60s and even 70s) seem to suggest that removing KPS Gill and Jothikumaran will address the malaise. I think the rot is not limited to the IHL leadership, although that layer is certainly most visible. Indian hockey is plagued by a serious lack of resources. Compare hockey with cricket in India, and you will see what I mean. Right from talent spotting programmes to training- both in the skills of the sport and overall physical fitness, mental toughness etc. the BCCI has done much more than the IHF has. But equally, the BCCI has resources that are several orders of magnitude higher than what the IHF has.

The public is to blame too. We prefer watching cricket or tennis matches, and are no longer willing to even watch hockey when it is shown on TV. What then is the motivation for youngsters in India to take up hockey seriously? Does it not make more sense for them to play cricket, make their millions even if they play only a handful of matches, and then retire?

And let us not forget that finally, it is not the IHF officials who played against the focused British team; it was supposedly the best 11 India could field. Every individual can- and does- have an “off” day. The ignominous exit from the Beijing Olympics will still serve a valuable purpose- if all stakeholders learn from their errors of omission & commission and work together to rejuvenate Indian hockey.

Perhaps even Bollywood did not think that they can spin a dream around the Indian men’s hockey team. Which is why the movie “Chak de India” celebrates the success of the Indian women’s hockey team.