Bereft of fanfare, India hockey teams head to Jakarta unnoticed
We are used to it. When we reached the airport, there was no one to welcome us.
HARENDRA SINGH, Men’s hockey coach
As the India hockey team, led by PR Sreejesh and having stalwarts like Sardar Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh, trooped into the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi in their fluorescent blue T-shirts with India inscribed prominently at the back, someone in the crowd was heard saying, “This is some state Olympic team”.
Obviously unaware of the achievements of the team (them being defending Asian Games champions) and painfully unaware of his own sporting knowledge, it was an affirmation that the only sport followed in India is cricket.
The Indian cricket team might be suffering humiliating losses in the five-Test series in England but the mind is still intensely glued on the next Test, if only to witness another possible crushing loss, or of catching a glimpse of a fuming Virat Kohli gritting his teeth in frustration.
As the India men’s and women’s hockey teams boarded the flight to Jakarta, there were only a few who gave a second glance to the likes of Sardar, Sreejesh or Manpreet Singh, the stars who have been bringing glory to the country for years.
Men’s team coach Harendra Singh, more disappointed than piqued by the intransigence, quipped, “We are used to it. When we reached the airport, there was no one to welcome us. We made our way to the airport and here we are queuing at the immigration. Had a Kohli been here, coming off after a humiliating defeat, everyone would have been clamouring for his attention.”
The coach was perhaps stating the obvious. No one noticed, or cared, about who these athletes in blue India jerseys were as long as they were not in cricket team jerseys.
“I suppose they are some athletes going on an international trip,” said Arpinder Sharma, travelling with his wife to Singapore.
When told that it was the India hockey team, nationalistic pride took over momentarily. “Oh, that makes me feel proud.”