Indian hockey battles through difficult year
It was a difficult year for Indian hockey, with the men’s team’s Asia Cup win and the junior team’s World Cup bronze being the few high points. The women’s team’s slide continued as it was relegated from the Pro League and finished second at the Asia Cup, where only gold would have confirmed a place in next year’s World Cup.
The year began with the return of the Hockey India League after a gap of seven years. The revamped league saw Rarh Bengal Tigers winning the eight-team men’s tournament and Odisha Warriors taking the women’s crown in a four-team contest. The league was however hit by roadblocks such as players pulling out due to scheduling issues, teams defaulting on player salaries and other franchisees withdrawing due to financial sustainability concerns.
International hockey began with the FIH Pro League. After a mixed bag of results in Bhubaneswar, the men’s team lost seven consecutive games during the European leg before ending its campaign with a win to finish second-last and avoid relegation. India were missing the efficiency that had helped them win two consecutive Olympics bronze medals. They looked disorganised at the back and out of sync in attack. But the team has been going through a transition with new players coming in.
They entered the Asia Cup on the back of the Pro League disappointment. And despite the added pressure of needing to win the tournament to earn a World Cup berth, India asserted their dominance in the continent with an unbeaten run to the title.
On the women’s circuit, very little went India’s way. The team has been on a downward spiral since the high of Tokyo Olympics, which was achieved by a core group that had been playing together for years. With many key players from that team retiring or falling out of favour, India have struggled to maintain their place in world hockey. In the Pro League, they could manage just two wins in 16 games and were subsequently relegated. They reached the final of the Asia Cup but lost 4-1 to China, and will now have to play in the qualifying tournament to earn a place in the World Cup. The team’s year ended in controversy when head coach Harendra Singh was allegedly asked to quit by the federation after complaints from the players about his coaching style.
The year though closed on an uplifting note, with the junior men’s team winning a World Cup medal after a gap of nine years. After their gold medal dream was dashed by Germany in the semifinals, and despite trailing by two goals against Argentina in the third place match, India pulled off a thrilling comeback with four goals in the final quarter to end their medal drought.
