New Delhi : Eyes firmly set on the Indian hockey team, which may break its 48-year jinx in the World Cup hockey tournament, begins in Odisha. It is going to be the 15th edition of the Men’s Hockey World Cup. It will be a great opportunity for team India to
play in front of the home crowd. Also, the team has got a good chance of doing well and winning the title at the tournament.
It was way back in 1975 that Indian last managed to etch their name on the trophy, and after that, the closest they have come was the last world cup in 2018, when they lost 1-2 to Netherlands in the quarter- final.
The Tokyo Olympic (2021) bronze medal has boosted the team’s morale and now they are more focused to be among the top three hockey playing nations. The team is performing better as it is focused and getting a lot of exposure.
Hockey lovers are very optimistic and sure that this team is going to repeat history and certainly India will win this tournament after a long time. India has a good chance to improve their ranking as well, as the team has a psychological edge on the other teams due to their performance at the Tokyo Olympics and their current good form. Fans are hoping by winning this tournament, the Indian team will be among the top three Hockey playing nations. This time, the team is more determined to win the title.
The current bunch of youngsters are skilled and mentally tough to be the best in the world. One can see the team’s recent performances. The current team has a good combination of young and experienced players.It has PR Sreejesh and Manpreet Singh. Both these players have plenty of international experience, while on the other hand the team also have youngsters like Hardik Singh, Mandeep Singh and Jarmanpreet Singh, who can turn the game through speed and skills.
India will start their campaign against Spain on January 13. They will also take on England in the group match on January 15. The Team will play against Wales on January 19. While England are ranked fifth in the world and India sixth, Spain are not far behind at eight.
Team India is the only Asian country who is among the top six teams. However, the Asian sub- continent is struggling to keep the sport alive and the standards of the teams are falling far behind European standards. The last world title won by any Asian country was the 1994 World Cup, when Pakistan won their fourth world title.
The Europeans, Argentina and Australia are dominating world hockey right now, so if India wants to improve the game, the standard of hockey and the fitness of the players then they have to play with these teams as much as possible. Nowadays, Asian countries except India hardly ever manage to defeat any top team.
This will be the 15th edition of the World cup tournament and India had won this title once in 1975, and silver in 1973 and bronze medal in 1971 since then the team miserably failed to even reach the semi final.
Before 2010, Indian Hockey has been in the news over the years for all the wrong reasons. There was the Olympic shame in 2008, and frequently one had to read stories of bad management, fighting on and off the field and lots of noise being made at the administrative level, without much really being done.
However, after 2010, the Indian hockey team was on the right path and won several medals on the world stage, such as two silver medals in the Champion Trophy, and an Olympic medal after 41 years. A lot has been done to revitalise this sport in India by international trainers, competent administration, and government funding from the state of Odisha. Hockey fans hope that by winning this championship in front of their home crowds this time, this team would restore the former grandeur of Indian hockey.
Sunil Thapliyal has been active journalist in sports over a decade, views are personal
