WHEN IT COMES to big-ticket tournaments, the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar has been a decent hunting ground for the Indian hockey team.
It won bronze in the 2017 FIH Hockey World League and finished fourth in the 2014 Champions Trophy. Chief coach Harendra Singh will take heart from this, given India’s poor run in recent World Cups, especially in the 2010 edition in Delhi, where it finished 8th. In 2014, at The Hague, India was placed an even worse 9th. In the past two decades, the performance in Delhi was India’s best.
But, a lot has happened since then. Singh became the chief coach this May, replacing Dutchman Sjoerd Marijne, under whom India finished fourth at the Commonwealth Games 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia. After Singh returned to the men’s side, India won silver at the Champions Trophy, losing to Australia in a shootout. A gold at the Jakarta Asian Games was the next target, but India lost to Malaysia in the semifinals, again in a penalty shootout, after having dominated its group. Predictably, heads rolled after the defeat. The most prominent exit was that of Sardar Singh. Though the veteran midfielder and Hockey India tried to pass it off as an amicable parting of ways, it was not.
The squad for the World Cup, too, sprang some surprises. The 18-member squad, which midfielder Manpreet Singh will lead, does PT not have seasoned players such as forward S.V. Sunil and ace drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh. Instead, Singh has put his faith in young blood, with midfielders Sumit and Nilakanta Sharma, and defender Hardik Singh making the cut. The team has three drag-flickers, and six of Singh’s wards, who lifted the 2016 Junior World Cup, are part of the squad. Slotted in pool C, alongside Belgium, Canada and South Africa, India will need to top the group to directly enter the quarterfinals. Teams placed second and third will have to play crossover matches for a chance to advance. India, currently ranked 5th in the world, would hope that home advantage takes it deep into the tournament.
Denne historien er fra December 02, 2018-utgaven av THE WEEK.
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Denne historien er fra December 02, 2018-utgaven av THE WEEK.
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