Provide the right platform

India’s sixth place finish will bring about the routine round of questions, reviews and reactions. We are undoubtedly blessed with a strong team and the decision-makers, now, have to create the right path for them to truly realise their potential.

Hockey World Cup 2018 has been an amazing event with salt, sugar and spices for teams and hockey lovers. It had the entire ingredient to be successful and will be remembered as one of the best World Cups. The overwhelming crowd support with kind hospitality and top of the world arrangements by the Odisha Government has not only revolutionised hockey but has added feathers to the popular ‘Incredible India’ movement.

During the event, I also had the opportunity to meet many old non-resident Indian hockey friends travelling from Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Holland, Germany and Kenya. They packed the stadium and was happy with the facilities and soaked in the fun and festivities that had spread across the city. A few were even emotionally charged to see India host a tournament of the highest magnitude with ease and efficiency. All of them wanted the Indian team to do well and finish on the podium. You could see their love and feel the passion and sentiments for hockey and how desperately they wanted India to regain its past glory.

Bridging the gap

Indian hockey has always been exceptional. Movement with the stick and skills with ball control and wrist work is a treat to watch, but only if used at the right place and occasion. At times, I feel we are there, but during the competition the impression fluctuated from time to time. The competition at this level will never be easy and emotions will run high, at times forcing players to make disappointing decisions which can prove costly for the team. Players who are mentally tough and willing to hold their nerves during such pressure tournaments or games are welcome, rest can leave for good. Indian hockey cannot afford to play with one less player at any time, particularly during crucial periods in the fourth quarter where goals can be conceded and scored even in the dying seconds.

The comparison with the past hockey teams will continue as that was the golden era and we want to bring those glory days back. The extra baggage of expectations will continue to remain on our shoulders, which at times can be counter productive for some but motivating for others. However, I am satisfied with the overall performance of our team. Since the 2002 World Cup, for the first time India had a positive goal difference of +9 in pool matches, which shows our improved fitness, attacking power and better defending capabilities. We are getting closer to the top four teams in the world.

Golden generation

The Red Lions deservedly won the title. In the 2002 edition Belgium finished 14th in a 16-team competition and was fifth in the previous edition in 2014. But a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics drew the attention of the entire world and the Belgians reaffirmed their credentials as the new European superpower with their display in Bhubaneswar. The cohesiveness and bonding amongst the core group, including former and current players, give a familial atmosphere and it reflected in their playing routine even after the early exit of two key players, John-John Domen and Emmanuel Stockbroekx. A team with three penalty corner takers in Tom Boon, Loick Luypaert and the tricky flicker Alexander Henrickx (7 PC goals) always had the added advantage.

Orange going strong

The Netherlands despite losing to Germany in a pool game and a poor penalty corner conversion rate had lady luck smiling as the

team reached the final with a narrow win over India and a shoot-out victory over Australia. However, the Netherlands’ luck ran out in the final as the fancied Jerome Hertzberger failed to score in the sudden death and the team had to settle for the silver medal.

Olympic champion Argentina had a difficult tournament and struggled against Spain in the opening game and also lost to France in a pool match. Clearly missing the services of coach Carlos Retegui, who had guided the Latin Americans to Olympic glory, the team was slow — often just relying on the services of penalty corner expert Gonzalo Peillat — and duly lost to England in the quarterfinals.

Australia will be happy with the bronze medal as the team failed to find its aggressive spirit on a consistent basis and had problems in creating space against strong opponents. Germany’s early exit despite the presence of star strikers Florian Fuchs, Christopher Ruhr and play-maker Tobias Hauke was unexpected. The team looked sharp in patches, but was again plagued with inconsistency.

France, China impress

France made a positive impression alongside Asian newbie China, while Malaysia and Pakistan will have to work a lot more to set things right.

India’s sixth place finish will bring about the routine round of questions, reviews and reactions. We are undoubtedly blessed with a strong team and the decision-makers, now, have to create the right path for them to truly realise their potential.

A quarterfinal heartbreak: India breezed through the group phase of the World Cup but suffered a narrow defeat to the Netherlands in the last eight stage. AP

Culmination of the comeback: Pat Cummins takes a return catch to dismiss Jasprit Bumrah and end the Indian second innings. Australia ran out winner by 146 runs in the second Test in Perth and levelled the series 1-1 after going down in the first Test in Adelaide by 31 runs and copping a lot of flak. Spin lion: Nathan Lyon misses a caught and bowled chance in the first innings. But he kept the pressure on the Indians and bagged eight wickets in the match, five in the first innings and three in the second. The pitch didn’t help him unduly, but he foxed the Indian batsmen with trajectory and velocity variations. By bowling long spells from one end, he also gave his side’s pace trio the respite they needed between spells. His success also made the Indians rue the fact that they had gone into the Test without a specialist spinner. Starkly startling: After the Adelaide loss, Mitchell Starc, the leader of the Australian pace battery, was criticised for not putting in enough effort. He came back roaring, especially in the second innings, in Perth and set things rolling by castling Indian opener Lokesh Rahul on the fourth day. GETTY IMAGES

Stirring a hornet’s nest: That’s what Indian captain Virat Kohli did in Perth and got stung, too. He proved himself with the bat with a brilliant hundred in the first innings and made some gestures suggesting that he had let his bat do all the talking. He had been very animated on the field in the Australian first innings itself, prompting Australian coach Justin Langer to remark that had the Australians celebrated like Kohli on the field at the fall of each wicket, they would have been termed “the lousiest team in the world.” Kohli’s dismissal after his hundred was contentious too with doubts cropping up in the field umpires’ minds whether the catch taken by Peter Handscomb in the slips was ‘clean.’ After multiple replays, the TV umpire ruled in favour of the fielder, but there were many sympathisers for Kohli too, who thought that he should have been allowed to continue. The relationship between Kohli and the Aussies really soured when the home team batted in the second innings as the Indian captain took on his counterpart Tim Paine in a slanging match, forcing an umpire to intervene. Was Kohli right or wrong to put on such a countenance? The opinion is divided! Bouncer-happy: The Indian pacemen, four of them in number, tried to give the bouncer treatment to the Australian tail, especially in the second innings. Here Mohammed Shami, who bagged six wickets in the second innings, strikes Lyon on the helmet. The Aussies returned the compliment in the second innings and reaped rewards too. AFP, AP & GETTY IMAGES