India’s opening fixture of their Ranchi leg of the FIH Women’s Hockey Qualifiers against the United States of America was scheduled to start at 7.30 PM on Friday (January 13). A little more than three and a half hours before the match, this writer booked an auto to make it to the stadium. The plan was to talk to the fans outside the ground, in order to get a sense of the frenzied atmosphere.
However, I was in a state of shock when I arrived at the Hockey Stadium. All that I could notice was a sea of policemen patrolling the main road. I just thought to myself, this can’t be true as around 50 per cent of the stadium was filled up even to watch the various teams taking part in training sessions. So, with a quizzical look, I entered the Media Box. And to my astonishment, the stadium was jam-packed for the second game of the day between New Zealand and Italy.
After that day, I made it a point to reach the ground around eight hours before India’s game. Basically, it was a reality check for me as I understood that people in Ranchi don’t just watch a hockey game involving the home team but they are true fans of the sport. The experience inside the stadium, too, was largely electric, especially when Germany took on India in the semi-final.
That Germany-India game turned out to be one for the ages. When the penalty shoutout was about to begin, there was pandemonium in the stands. Hardly any of the seats were occupied as most of them stood up to catch a glimpse of the action. Patriotic slogans filled the air every single time India scored a goal or Germany missed one.
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Some were jumping up and down right through the course of the shootout, which in turn made it tough for those journalists sitting in the Media Box. All that the poor reporters could do was frequently request the ever-enthusiastic fans to take their seats. Not that anyone cared.
Leave alone the elders, even kids were eager to learn more about the game. Before India’s semi-final, when asked who was their favourite Indian player, a couple of kids quipped, “We have come to learn more about the game, not just watch.” You never know, those two kids might go on to play for India in the future.
There is another way to gauge the passion for hockey in the land of MS Dhoni. After India’s heartbreak against Japan, I had to complete the routine task of asking fans’ views on the game. The replies ranged from abuses to angry expressions. For a while, I was miffed. But if you scratch the outside coating, you will notice that the fans were frustrated by India’s inability to lift their spirits for the all-important game versus Japan. Once more, it encapsulates the point that hockey runs through the veins of people in Ranchi.
That India-Japan game also turned out to be the last day of my stay in Ranchi. The very next day, while travelling to the airport, memories painted with a vivid brush, kept reverberating in my mind. From the receptionist at the hotel to kids. From those big banners featuring the captains of all the eight teams to fans mobbing the largely unheralded Chilean players when they took their seats to watch India’s semi-final, Ranchi breathed nothing but hockey for seven long days.
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