The hockey quagmire…
Should field hockey really be our national sport ? We have had great success in the sport, it is probably still our most successful sporting endeavour. But shouldn’t the most popular sport be our national sport ? In terms of popularity cricket is undoubtedly India’s if not the subcontinent’s obsession. It’s unfair on other sportsmen who toil as hard if not more than our cricketers but don’t receive the adulation that is their due. No more than a score of countries play cricket and even then it is still half a dozen nations that are actually contenders. But cricket has risen to such colossal heights on it’s own. So, cricket can’t be blamed for it’s own success and popularity. Anyways, this really isn’t about cricket, it’s about our national sport – Hockey.
Indian hockey can boast of being a powerhouse of the sport. Ours is the most successful hockey team in the history of Olympics – winning eight gold medals, six in concession from 1928 till 1956. India can boast of producing one of the biggest legends of the game – Dhyan Chand. But that was then. Before partition, the Indian team consisted of Pakistanis, Indians, Anglo Indians. But, in my view that wasn’t the reason for the tremendous success enjoyed by the Indians. What could have been foremost reason was the British influence. Under them the Indian team was at par with the rest of the world in terms of tactical prowess and technical advancements. With the exit of the British, the Indian failed to keep up with the rest of the world and their performances went downhill. It is interesting to note that India managed to win Olympic golds consistently till 1964 but with the introduction of artificial turf in the 1970s, India’s dominance declined steadily. It was only recently that traditional powerhouse of Indian hockey Punjab acquired the astro turf at the Chandigarh stadium. Unlike those years when young boys would learn the tricks of the trade on the school’s playing field itself and then go on to play at the international level in the same way, today it is only after they’ve reached the state level that they get the feel of the astro turf. Even today, Punjab doesn’t have a hockey stadium in place where as field hockey has become almost obsolete in other nations around the globe.
The team’s recent performances are nothing to be optimistic about either. Even after the ouster of KPS Gill, the team would take some time to acquire some of the fearsome prowess of their renowned predecessors. The team has fared pathetically in better tournaments like Champions Trophy and World Cup and even failed to qualify for the Olympics. The rot will remain in the system until there’s a concerned effort from the sports ministry. It is about time that the powers that be hear the desperate cries of this great tradition…
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