Grit, glory & the game: What made Indian hockey world class again, and what we need to do now

But we got here after years of hard work and commitment.

To see this, appreciate the grit our teams showed. After the big defeat to Australia, the first target of the men’s team was to get into the quarterfinals. The team showed fabulous strength of character. Heads could’ve dropped after such a big loss. But, they came back and won four matches in a row – Spain, Argentina, Japan, and Great Britain in the quarters.

This determination came on the back of steady improvement after the tough period of 2008-12. You cannot pinpoint one particular reason for the revival, it has been the result of cumulatively improving on various fronts. Some of these reasons are common to both men’s and women’s teams.

The number one reason is the Hockey India League. A lot of good players came out of the league. Birendra Lakra, Manpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Amit Rohidas, Surender Kumar – all these players really made a name for themselves in the league.

Having a strong national league was of paramount importance. As was the presence of foreign players. A legend and Olympic gold medallist like Moritz Furste was playing. Imagine a 17-18-year-old kid sharing the dressing room with Furste, you learn a lot in those two months.

Second, look at the men’s and women’s teams’ backup – the quality of coaches and the quality of scientific support staff who are working behind the scenes. Graham Reid, is definitely one of the top-5 coaches in the world. With the women’s team, there is Sjoerd Marijne, Janneke Schopman as coaches. The quality of sports science staff – Robin Arkell for the men’s team, Wayne Lombard with the women’s team – is top drawer.

Fitness levels for both teams have been absolutely world class. Also, because of scientific advisors, open mindedness of coaches, the rolling substitution was used quite intelligently. We were doing almost 80 rolling substitutions in a match at this Olympics. Unheard of for India! On an average, per match, that is more than one substitution per minute. That’s why we were able to maintain high tempo and intensity throughout the tournament. Hockey is nothing without fitness.

Today they use GPS monitors to track training loads, heart rates, hydration, kilometres covered, fatigue, soreness. They are using a lot of data analysis.

Third, players are now much better looked after in national camps. For that Hockey India and Sports Authority of India deserve a huge round of applause. From facilities we used to get when I was playing from 2000-2008 to now, the improvement is huge – whether it is in training camps or while on tours.

Hockey is a physically taxing sport, you have to really look after the players off the field. Hockey India and SAI have invested huge amounts of money to have training camps 365 days a year.

Fourth, the coaches development programme has also played its part. Today there are a lot of qualified coaches who are better equipped to conduct training modules – especially for kids. When you’re training kids the basics of hockey, it’s important to prep and upgrade the knowledge of coaches.

Coming back to the men’s team, Harendra Singh’s junior team from 2016, which won gold at the Junior World Cup in Lucknow, forms the core of the side at the Tokyo Olympics. That’s how it should be. From 2014 to 2021 – almost seven years – most of these players have been playing together. So the team spirit, team bonding, and camaraderie have been developed over many years. This isn’t a team that has been built overnight.

Reid, the men’s coach, selected this squad based on current form and fitness, not on reputation. He was vindicated. Big names like Ramandeep Singh, SV Sunil and Akashdeep Singh were not picked. Between the three of them, they have more than 500 caps and 200 goals for India. But, Reid’s policy is that form and fitness come first. He selected players who can adapt, players who are extremely fit, players who can play in different positions.

Our women players far exceeded everyone’s expectations. Theirs have been one of the great stories of these Olympics. So many unsung heroes in the squad. We talk about Rani Rampal, Savita Punia and Vandana Katariya, but there are others like Deep Grace Ekka, Sushila Chanu, Monika, Navneet Kaur, Navjot Kaur and Sharmila Devi who rose to the occasion.

What do we do from here? Many players in both teams are young. Many of them can play till the Paris Olympics. Continuity and stability are always good, especially for the core of the team. With the core that we have, I 100% believe that we can do better in both men’s and women’s hockey in Paris. We have the ability, the talent pool and the blueprint.

Hockey India must capitalise on the new popularity of hockey and promote the game at every level – grassroots to national. I would love to see more and more sponsors come forward for hockey. I would love to see thousands of young boys and girls play hockey all over the country and not just the traditional hockey nurseries of Punjab, Odisha and Coorg.

Hockey must revive in nurseries that have dried up – Mumbai, Khadki, Bhopal and Jhansi. I would like to see hockey spread all over the country, especially girls’ hockey. I think there is a huge scope to promote girls’ hockey in the country.

And we need TV. Hockey must be shown regularly on TV. Experts should talk about the game’s finer points like it happens in cricket. I hope this doesn’t only happen during the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. Hockey must become a TV regular.

Now that the burden of the 41-year wait is gone, hopefully winning will become a habit again.

The writer, former captain of the Indian men’s hockey team and part of the squad that won silver at the 2002 Busan Asiad, is CEO, Olympic Gold Quest

(Views are personal)