TIME TO REBOUND

India’s exit from the World Cup calls for a deep think

- NEERU BHATIA

The look on their faces said a lot. As India hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and head coach Graham Reid sat down to face questions from the media after their team’s exit in the crossovers round, Singh was downcast and Reid was evidently unhappy. India had thrown away a two-goal lead before being eliminated by lower-ranked New Zealand in sudden death.

All of India’s problems in the tournament—low penalty-corner conversion, poor finishing and nerves in high-pressure situations—were visible in the must-win match. Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, the soft-spoken former captain who took many a hard hit defending India’s goal during an illustrious playing career, told THE WEEK that the team did not play to its potential. “We had played really well for one and a half years,” he said. “So, expectations were high. I, too, expected them to at least reach the quarterfinals.”

Legendary Australian coach Ric Charlesworth said the players, especially the seasoned ones, were perhaps a tad complacent after winning the bronze at the Tokyo Olympics. “India had so many chances to win in the World Cup,” Charlesworth told THE WEEK. He said he had spoken to Reid about the potential dangers of the players being celebrated as heroes after the Olympics.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons Reid trusted younger players like Shamsher Singh and Sukhjeet Singh during the shootout, even as vastly experienced players like Akashdeep Singh (222 matches), Manpreet Singh (318) and Mandeep Singh (198) looked on. Shamsher missed both his penalties in the shootout and Sukhjeet missed in sudden death after scoring the crucial fifth penalty to keep India alive.