Rising India

Indervir Grewal

Sixteen men again stand ready to take on the world at the Olympics with the weight of history and expectations on their shoulders. 

These 16 men are desperate to write a favourable chapter in Indian hockey’s much-celebrated Olympics history. The memories of India’s failure to qualify in 2008 and last-place finish — their worst ever — in 2012 are still fresh.

But much has changed since India lost every single match, even to South Africa, on the newly introduced blue and pink turf in London four years ago. India, then world No. 10, have climbed to No. 5. They have won more medals in the last two years than in the previous decade. 

Incidentally, the seeds of this transformation were sown a year before the London Olympics. There were attempts made earlier when foreign coaches were brought in but the team, enabled by the frustrated foreigners, clung on to its old, chaotic, style of hockey.

Time for change

But in 2011, when the core group was expanded by bringing in a large number of young players, which included a majority from a reviving Punjab, it seemed that Indian hockey was ready to move on.

It was time to let go of the senior players who were handicapped by their old habits, and develop youngsters in the modern system, instilling in them the technical, tactical and mental characteristics needed for the fast-evolving game. It was time to rid the team of hierarchy and indiscipline that followed stardom, and bring in a culture of teamwork, which is the true essence of modern hockey.

In 2011, India’s recently changed coaching staff took a young team to the Asian Champions Trophy, trying to prove a point to the seniors and the federation. Against all odds, India won gold. However, for the Olympics, the selection committee and coach Michael Nobbs opted for the seniors — a decision which showed that India was not yet ready to put its faith in the successors. The team had a disastrous run.

Change of guard

Four years have passed since Nobbs’ ill-fated choice. A lot has changed. That decision in 2011, taken so as to widen the pool of players for the future, is showing results now. Many of those youngsters form the core of the current team. They were in the team that won the gold in the 2014 Asian Games and the silver in the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Over the past one year, they have helped India break new ground. The bronze at the FIH Hockey World League Final last year was India’s first major medal at the world level in three decades. The silver medal at the Champions Trophy is India’s best ever finish at the tournament.

The last few months have shown that the baton has been passed and the mindset, to a great level, has changed. The focus has shifted from star players with limited skills to complete players. Now, at the heart of the team, which was for long the domain of arguably the most popular face of Indian hockey, sits one of the most talented yet inconspicuous players of his generation — Manpreet Singh. Already, a junior player (Harjeet Singh), who much like Manpreet is an all-rounder, is in line to be his successor.

Up front, star forwards of the past have been replaced by well-equipped and hardworking ones, who will track back every time to help out in defence. At the back, the rise of Harmanpreet Singh suggests that the future belongs to fullbacks who are known more for their defending and play-making skills than their drag-flicks and not the other way around. 

And most importantly, PR Sreejesh’s promotion to captaincy shows that it is time to move on from stars who overshadow the team. A captain’s position is more or less about inspiring the team; despite being India’s most consistent performer in the last few years, Sreejesh has never been the face of the national team but a helmeted symbol of security.

Overhaul

But the last four years have not all been about success. The youngsters have suffered many failures, faced criticism. They have had to play under four different coaches. They have been winning medals for over two years but only in the last six months have they started to consistently be competitive at the top level. 

But there is still a long way to go before India can crash the elite group’s party and win an Olympics or a World Cup medal.

This slow progress (when compared to the top nations) is because these youngsters were 18-20 years old when they were brought in; a lot of the damage had been done by then. Harjeet and Harmanpreet are representatives of a junior lot that will very soon start knocking at the senior team door, just because their initiation into the system was done at a younger age. 

Still, there is a huge divide between the national-team level and the national level. It is also the reason why the reserve pools for the national teams — junior and senior — are still not big enough. The only way forward if India is to become a medal prospect at the Olympics is to make sweeping changes across India. There has to be a uniform system of training from the national-team level down to the grass-roots level. 

9 debutants, fingers crossed

After four years of more failures than successes, the young Indian team (with nine players making their Olympics debut) faces its greatest test. India might have to bear many more disappointments — the Rio Games could be one — before achieving more success. 

But their recent performances suggest a good showing at Rio. If these youngsters play that fearless yet disciplined brand of hockey they have displayed in the last couple of tournaments, they will return from Rio with their heads held high.

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The squad: 5 from Punjab, 2 from Haryana

PR Sreejesh (captain)

DOB: 08/05/88

international app: 156

Kerala

Rupinder Pal Singh

DOB: 11/11/90

international app: 144

Punjab

Harmanpreet Singh

DOB: 06/01/96

international app: 16

Punjab

VR Raghunath

DOB: 01/11/88

international app: 214

Karnataka

Surender Kumar

DOB: 23/11/93

international app: 24

Haryana

Kothajit Singh

DOB: 17/08/92

international app: 131

Manipur

Devindar Walmiki

DOB: 28/05/92

international app: 29

Maharashtra

Manpreet Singh

DOB: 26/06/92

international app: 156

Punjab

Chinglensana Singh

DOB: 02/12/91

international app: 110

Manipur

SK Uthappa

DOB: 02/12/93

international app: 94

Karnataka

Sardar Singh

DOB: 15/07/86

international app: 247

Haryana

Nikkin Thimmaiah

DOB: 18/01/91

international app: 71

Karnataka

Ramandeep Singh

DOB: 01/04/93

international app: 72

Punjab

Akashdeep Singh

DOB: 02/12/94

international app: 102

Punjab

Danish Mujtaba

DOB: 20/12/88

international app: 160

Uttar Pradesh

SV Sunil (vice-captain)

DOB: 06/05/89

international app: 190

Karnataka

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Indian angle

For the first time since 1980, Indian teams will figure in both men’s and women’s competitions. The Indian men won the gold and the women finished fourth at Moscow 1980. 

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