Bhubaneswar, India – The ray of hope that the Indian males’s area hockey crew noticed in the course of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo when it defeated Germany on the best way to successful a bronze medal was short-lived.

The enthusiasm and pleasure with which India, the host nation, entered the FIH Hockey World Cup this yr was extinguished on January 22 with a 5-4 defeat in opposition to New Zealand. India, ranked sixth on this planet, put in a below-average present and completed ninth general, tied with Argentina.

The exit is the most recent in a sequence of blows for the game within the nation, which received eight Olympic golds from 1928 to 1980 (six between 1928 and 1956) and holds the general document for the most effective efficiency on the Olympics with 83 victories in 134 matches.

After the disappointing World Cup displaying, hockey commentators and fanatics have targeted on the poor performances from the gamers and on the politics related to the sport.

The Indian crew has not made it to the semifinals of a World Cup because it final won the tournament in1975. It didn’t qualify for the 2008 Olympics. Host India was knocked out on the quarterfinal stage within the 2018 Men’s Hockey World Cup, which Belgium received, and this yr, the crew didn’t make it to the quarterfinals.

“We are concerned about the team’s future and thus are now looking at addressing the issues and areas of concern for the Paris Olympics in 2024 and the upcoming Asian Games, which are Olympic qualifying games, this year,” Dilip Tirkey, Hockey India president and former captain, informed Indian news agencies. “The key concern right now is the team’s limited exposure and lack of practice in open tournaments, which could help improve their game.”

He stated the crew didn’t capitalise on one in every of its supposed strengths – guaranteeing scores from penalties. The crew, led by captain Harmanpreet Singh, has received criticism for poor penalty nook conversions (5 out of 26), inconsistent performances, shedding the ball in key moments and a weak defence. Injuries to 2 key gamers, midfielder Hardik Singh and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, didn’t assist.

Substandard infrastructure

India’s southeastern state of Odisha – which has given the nation a few of its prime hockey gamers, together with Dilip and Prabodh Tirkey – hosted the World Cup for the second consecutive time. However, the state, whereas touted because the nation’s residence for hockey, remains to be far behind by way of international-level infrastructure in contrast with different international locations.

One of the important thing causes for the decline of Indian hockey is the restricted variety of synthetic grass pitches within the nation, consultants on the sport stated. Even although their numbers have elevated to round 40 overall in India, together with 17 in Odisha, up to now few years, there are far fewer of those pitches in contrast with European international locations. The rise of the bogus floor places Indians at an obstacle as a result of they develop up taking part in totally on grass. Odisha plans to put no less than 24 extra Astroturf pitches within the subsequent few years, however some consultants suppose this can nonetheless not be sufficient.

“The game changed after the introduction of the Astroturf in the 1970s,” says Sandeep Mishra, a senior sports activities journalist from Odisha. “It is more about speed, strength and stamina and less about skill. By the final quarter, our players ‌seem fatigued and cannot sustain their tempo. India dominated world hockey when the game was played on grass and skill was the determining factor. We could not build enough Astroturf pitches in our country. Our players usually start their careers on grass and are introduced to Astroturf later.”

The state authorities launched a faculty hockey programme in April, below which one college in every of the 30 districts has a hockey membership with 25 to 30 members. These golf equipment play district-level hockey matches each Sunday. There are additionally sports activities academies in most districts that scout college students from villages and prepare them in sports activities. Despite these efforts, the ground-level infrastructure stays missing in contrast with different international locations.

“The average longevity of a playing field is eight to 10 years, but the one in our academy was laid way back in 2007,” stated Abraham Kispotta, head of the Hockey Academy within the Sundargarh district of Odisha. “It is in poor condition. We have written to the management several times, but there has been no improvement. Some of these girls are playing at state and national levels. How can they train on this turf? Amit Rohidas, the vice captain of the Indian team, was also trained at this academy.”

The Odisha authorities has been investing giant quantities of cash into constructing stadiums, sponsoring the nationwide males’s and ladies’s groups, and collectively proudly owning hockey golf equipment, however in keeping with Mishra, the nation wants to reveal gamers to extra aggressive fixtures.

“We practice more and play less,” Mishra stated. “The more tournaments, the better since there is no substitute for real match practice. The domestic tournaments have almost become negligible and fail to attract sponsors and spectators as our top players are retained in camps. I believe more competitions, at least an optimum number of domestic and international, will help improve our performance and also create a bigger talent pool.”

Some consultants lamented frequent adjustments of teaching workers and debate whether or not overseas coaches have helped the sport in India. Some stated the normal Indian fashion of hockey, which requires extra ability in dribbling and dodging, is being uncared for in favour of a extra European fashion taught by overseas coaches.

“Europe-style hockey is like playing carom – more power and hits – whereas if you notice Dhyan Chand’s game, our traditional style requires more speed and less power,” stated Chandrashekhar Luthra, a veteran sports activities journalist. “[It’s] best suited to our physique. So we are losing power there. Also, these Western coaches teach theoretical strategies that are difficult to comprehend for the players who come from small villages. Even with a translator, it is not the same.”

A well-rounded coach, Mishra stated, might make or break the gamers and the sport.

“It is most important to select a coach who understands not just the game but also the players, their psyche, their abilities and skills, and their intelligence and backgrounds,” he stated. “The coach has to be given a reasonable tenure to deliver. In India, coaches are always blamed for the team’s bad performance and sacked too frequently. ”

After this yr’s World Cup failure, Graham Reid, an Australian who helped the crew win bronze within the Olympics, resigned because the India coach. This will now result in one other spherical of attempting to find a coach to take the crew into the Asian Games.

Failure to revive public curiosity

Questions have arisen about whether or not the persevering with funding in hockey, which was as soon as perceived as India’s nationwide sport, is paying off. Odisha spent $8.2m to host the 2018 World Cup. The determine spent on the 2023 World Cup was many times higher at $130m, which included cash spent for the development of the most important all-seater area hockey stadium in Odisha’s Rourkela.

Some allege, nevertheless, that Odisha redoubling its efforts to spice up hockey has made the game state-centric.

“Hockey was a much appreciated and loved national-level sport until the late 90s, but due to politics and personal rivalries, the game was moved to Odisha,” Luthra stated. “This move turned the game too regional- and state-centric as sponsors, mostly public sector undertakings, started going to Odisha.”

He stated this development slowly led to hockey being perceived as a regional or state recreation and led to much less scrutiny of the sport and the gamers.

“There are no more national leagues or academies, and thus the Indian hockey team, which once was at the top of its game, is now not even a powerhouse in Asia,” he stated.