With the arrival of Paris 2024 looming, it’s time for India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams to switch on their blinkers.
Roller-coaster, as a metaphor, perfectly epitomizes Indian hockey. If it’s an action verb, Indian hockey embodies it in all its glory. And if it’s an object, Indian hockey defines its ultimate essence. There’s no shortage of unpredictability in Indian hockey, with no outliers in sight, just like it was in 2023.
The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, hailed the men’s team as one of the favorites for the World Cup in January, only to see their journey end prematurely, in a solitary, heart-wrenching defeat at home in the quarterfinals, a far cry from how the year had started.
A valiant victory at the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) in Spain, involving five nations, had secured the biggest prize of the year, the gold at the Asian Games, and a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Indian hockey teams have emerged as symbols of the unexpected, defying even the most ardent supporters’ predictions, when hope perpetually springs eternal. A team that easily bests Germany and Australia in the FIH Pro League, less than two months after a disappointing turn at the World Cup, featuring almost identical lineups at the same venue.
A team where captain Harmanpreet Singh epitomizes grit, fighting to hold onto the captaincy amidst controversies, and still ends up topping the scoring charts in the Pro League. A team where the aftermath of a World Cup defeat is more agonizing than waiting for the big prize; it’s a claim coach Graham Reid and his assistant, Craig Fulton, have staked, along with an overhaul in coaching style and methodology.
It culminated in Paddy Aprton joining the team as a full-time, traveling mindset coach for the first time. Though the jury is still out on its impact, it was a long overdue claim that finally came to fruition.
For the men, the two trophies they lifted in 2023 may have been smaller than the August ACT, but logically, it was much tougher. Starting with conditions far from ideal — an unusually hot and humid Chennai where their first game took place, to a recovery in chilly European weather and jetlag in Jettalag. Conversely, the Asian Games posed the risk of playing on foreign soil where the Indian teams weren’t the clear favorites.
The players rose to the challenge in both sets, not just to adjust but to thrive, a testament not just to their resilience but also to their faith in Fulton’s process. For the women, it was a less fruitful year, but one that saw them bounce back from the bottom of the world to end up sixth in the rankings since their revival from the ranking’s initiation.
Though they’d need to do something to end teams like England and New Zealand, and while the bronze at the Asian Games they hoped for didn’t materialize, a month later, the Asian champions trophy against China, along with the Asian Champions Trophy win, came as a pleasant surprise.
In January, before the crucial Olympic qualifiers, the need for improvement was evident.
In Hangzhou, the Indian women’s team has suffered just one defeat, but that loss in the semifinals dashed hopes for Paris and extended the long road to the Olympics. While it may afford the team less time to prepare for the Games, on the other hand, it has already added a considerable amount of exposure that the team desperately needs on the world stage.
As the upcoming monsoon approaches, it will return to the Pro League, and exposure is one area that women can’t afford to neglect.
Indeed, in 2023, the international matches played by Indian teams were the most significant indicators. Over time, the lack of exposure has been cited as a reason for India’s failure on the world stage. In 2023, India played the most number of matches between both the men’s and women’s teams – 36 for men and 24 for women – a combined 66.67 percent win rate (24 for men and 16 for women).
A common aspect between the men’s and women’s teams is their clear superiority within the continent and the struggle against teams from outside. While the men have repeatedly demonstrated that they are miles ahead of other Asian sides, the women are still among the top in the continent. However, Europe presents their biggest challenge.
Indian women have played against Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Australia as part of their preparation for the Asian Games.
But while they’ve learned their lessons, they haven’t been able to clinch victories. In December, in events involving five nations, they lost to Spain, Germany, and Belgium but managed a sole victory against Ireland. The men, too, while not entirely outplayed, have seen a decrease in attractiveness; in the same tournament, they lost to Belgium by a scoreline of 7-2.
There will be a significant concern for the junior teams, both men and women, to overcome the deficiencies, overshadowing established names in the national team. While the juniors have both won the Asia Cup, although the men secured a solid fourth place in the Junior World Cup, the women languish in ninth place, highlighting the need to re-examine the feeder line’s development process.
The next six months will be focused on the biggest prize in play – the Olympics. While the men have their sights set on a podium finish again, the women have sealed their spots with a change in medal colors, planning for the upcoming months before securing their tickets to Paris. It won’t be easy, though.
On paper, India is the second-highest-ranked team — only former champions Germany stand in fifth place — and teams like New Zealand, the United States, and Italy won’t pose any overpowering challenge. Last time, India managed to surpass the United States in the qualifiers (albeit with some administrative help). Playing on home turf will be a massive advantage, although India is still a young team, and the absence of several experienced players will be felt.
No challenge on the field is insurmountable, though, if things are in place. Recent allegations of corruption in Indian hockey, questions over team management, and a generally tumultuous atmosphere are the most significant setbacks for a game that has been praised for its recent administrative excellence. The biggest blow to Indian hockey will be the most significant advantage for its roller-coaster image.
