With hockey having its roots in India for over a century, most of us have developed an emotional connect with the game. The essence of the point could be observed when millions of fans shed tears of joy after the Indian men’s hockey team won their second consecutive medal at the Olympics. The entire nation was in ecstasy.
Just that there was a tinge of sadness too that this was perhaps India’s one opportunity to not just win a bronze, but even go all the way and clinch the coveted gold medal. From better cohesion to flair to grit and adapting to different situations as per the needs of the game, India showed the required qualities to do something special.
Just travel back in time by a bit to have a bird’s-eye view of India triumphs over Australia and Great Britain. In the game against Australia, India based their game on what suits them the best. Instead of passing through flanks, it was more of a direct approach. The resultant outcome was India stunned Australia with an aggressive approach, which the Aran Zalewski-led side wouldn’t have experienced before. Probably, most of his seniors wouldn’t have either as that victory turned out to be India’s first triumph at the Olympics over the Men from Down Under since 1972.
And then there was the match against Great Britain. India lost their key defender and first-line rusher, Amit Rohidas, on the back of a red card. Despite playing with just 10 men, the defence showed game awareness and also good technique to keep Britain to just one goal. On expected lines, PR Sreejesh rose to the occasion by making some gallant saves both in the normal time and penalties to help India chart a memorable win.
Probably, India missed their star defender against Germany. Having said that, India still played some electrifying hockey, eventually losing 2-3 in a cliffhanger. More than Rohidas, the crux of India’s loss was that they couldn’t convert most of the penalty corner opportunities. Even though it has to be noted that it has become increasingly difficult for teams to net goals via penalty corners, because of first-line rushers coming into play. India also could have landed a couple more goals during normal time, including one at the fag end of the match, but it wasn’t to be.
In the bronze medal match, versus Spain, India were a bit lacklustre in the first couple of quarters. Understandable, as they had missed out on a place in the summit clash. India, though, did lift their sagging spirits in the nick of time to clinch a medal.
Lalit Upadhyay Exclusive
“Winning a medal for your country is a different feeling,” says Lalit Upadhyay, reflecting on their historic Bronze win at #Paris2024.
Also shares his favorite moment from these #Olympics.@TataSteelLtd @iabhijitdesh @BoriaMajumdar @TheHockeyIndia… pic.twitter.com/pUsoDo2xcw
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) August 8, 2024
One of the biggest positives for India in this Olympics was that barring the match against Germany, the Asian nation hardly gave away late goals. In the past, one of India’s bugbears was opposition teams leaving India in a state of despair with goals at the back end of the match. The defenders – Amit, Harmanpreet, Sumit Walmiki and Jarmanpreet – have to be credited for keeping the backline relatively safe. Obviously, Sreejesh, the legendary goalkeeper, seemed to be on a mission in his last assignment for India. It was poetic that Sreejesh played major roles in India’s victories over Australia, Britain and Spain.
Even if yours truly jog through India’s endeavours over the last three decades, starting with the 1994 Hockey World Cup, it is hard to remember a better campaign. Just that all the above-mentioned pointers give an inkling that under the stewardship of Craig Fulton, the coach, and Hamranpreet, the skipper, India had a team that could have gone all the way. If not the gold, at least a Silver. Alas! destiny had something else in store for them.
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