Prantik Mazumdar in Bhubaneswar
This was our first time as a family to travel together for an international hockey game and we came out overjoyed from the magnificent sporting precinct at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar.
Like thousands of Indian fans flocking to Dubai this weekend, we too were all set to make our way to the Burj city to watch the Indo-Pak duel at the Champions Trophy, till our cricket-loving son himself nudged us towards hockey!
He had thoroughly enjoyed Harmanpreet & Co’s journey at Paris 2024 on television and continues to mimic the nervous, exciting and victorious moments from the penalty shootout against Great Britain, when India was one man down.
My wife and I have similarly fond memories of the heroics of the Vandana Katariyas, Gurjit Kaurs and Savita Punias at Tokyo 2020 amidst the lockdown.
The ongoing FIH ProLeague in Odisha was an ideal opportunity for us three to watch our men and women’s teams live in action, against some of the best in the world.
Cool to be at West Stand on a warm evening
After enjoying some local millet-filled snacks on a warm yet breezy evening, we made ourselves comfortable at the West Stand, which gave us a wide-angle view of the field, which has the distinction of hosting two consecutive FIH World Cups, in 2018 and 2023.
Salima Tete’s relatively inexperienced side, with a median age of 24, took on a strong German unit led by Linnea Weidemann and coached by the famous Janneke Schopman, who was with the Indian women’s team till last year.
India were thumped 0-4 a day before, thanks to Sophia Schwabe’s energetic and athletic performance, but they looked a different unit on Saturday, attacking from the word go.
🚨 India clinches victory against Ireland in a dominant 4-0 showdown at the FIH Pro Hockey League @pranmaz breaks down the match @ThumsUpOfficial pic.twitter.com/FNCwQp4VJz
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) February 22, 2025
Deepika converted a penalty-corner in the fourth minute and the team was relentless thereafter. Preeti, Vaishnavi, Baljeet and Neha kept the German defenders occupied, while Udita, Jyoti and Sushila protected the D-shaped ‘Lakshman Rekha’ to perfection.
Massive kudos to the young Bichu Devi, who kept for three quarters ahead of the legendary Savita, rescued the team on numerous occasions when the Germans shot on goal or took their chances with the penalty-corners!
With this 1-0 win, India have come out of their dry patch, where they lost four consecutive games after winning the first one 3-2 against England. With seven points, they have moved up to seventh will face the reigning FIH and Olympic champions the Netherlands in the coming days. While the odds are against them, if the young unit back their aggressive game and their fitness, we could witness a successful underdog story unfold.
Within minutes of Deepika Sehrawat collecting her trophy, the men’s team were out in the middle with some intense dribble and shootout practice under the guidance of Craig Fulton.
Harmanpreet rested, the rest provide the thrills
My son and I were momentarily dejected after we failed to spot our favourite, Harmanpreet Singh, on the field, who was understandably rested once again, after he delivered back-to-back wins in the tournament against Germany and Ireland.
Hardik Singh, the energetic mid-fielder and the glue of the unit, took over the reins and ensured that the men’s team had a field day at the bustling stadium.
Sanjeep Nilam opened the account with a slick field goal in the second minute. Abhishek and Mandeep converted their penalty-corners within the seventh minute of the second quarter and Shamsher Singh nudged one in, in the third quarter, putting India on a very dominant position by the time the teams came back in for the final quarter.
🚨 Indian women’s hockey team led by Salima Tete beats Germany 1-0 in the #FIHProLeague.@pranmaz analyses.@ThumsUpOfficial@TheHockeyIndia
Full report: https://t.co/vSBxuAoQbG pic.twitter.com/Rr15BoCOzj
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) February 22, 2025
The final quarter was relatively uneventful with Ireland penetrating the circle just once and India adopting a more defensive ploy, to eventually secure a clinical and comfortable 4-0 win. It takes them to the fourth place in the standings, behind Netherlands, England and Belgium.
India will now face the Englishmen twice in the coming three days and along with the memories from Paris 2024, hopefully Harmanpreet can make his way back to the side, to further bolster confidence and belief ahead of the tough draw.
Along with the on-field heroics, we were treated to some scintillating fireworks every time someone fired in a goal, as well as some electrifying music from the on-field DJ and positive vibes from the crowd, who were mostly residents who were out there with their families.
And Indian hockey didn’t disappoint any of them. On our way back to the hotel, we as a family were sincerely glad that for once, we prioritised hockey over cricket!