Quest for GOLD

Indervir Grewal

IT has been eight years since a masterful Australia schooled India in front of a stunned New Delhi crowd. The 8-0 hammering had come as an anticlimax to a surprisingly successful campaign — India reached the Commonwealth Games final, for the first time ever, after upsetting England in the semifinals.

By reaching the final of the Games at home, India had raised the fans’ hopes for a first gold. But the Australian team, made up of stars such as Jamie Dwyer, came as a whirlwind that left the Indian team and its reputation in tatters. At the 2012 Olympics, India finished a dismal 12th, and it took a total revamp and patient rebuilding to bring the men’s team back on track.

Four years after the New Delhi humbling, India again surprised the field to set up the title clash with Australia in the Glasgow Games. However, the gold again eluded India as they finished a distant second, losing the final 0-4.

As another Commonwealth Games campaign begins, the talk is no longer limited to another final appearance. After eight years and two finals, the Indian men’s team wants only the gold. "We are looking at nothing less than a gold medal at the CWG. We have lost two consecutive finals to Australia but this time we want to aim for a better colour of medal,” said captain Manpreet Singh.

Gunning for Australia

In the run-up to the Games, the discussion has revolved around whether India can get the better of the mighty Australians. The coach and the players seem to think “why not?”

Coach Sjoerd Marijne didn’t want to discuss the distant past. The Dutchman added that considering the recent close results and India beginning to catch up with Australia, “why can't we win” against the reigning world champions. “It’s all about belief,” Marijne said before leaving for Gold Coast.

India’s confidence stems from their rise over the last four years. A lot has changed since Glasgow. India became the Asian champions, won medals at three top FIH tournaments and saw three foreign coaches come and leave. And with contributions from all four of the foreign coaches, India have achieved their highest ranking in the world in decades. But overcoming the challenge of the five-time defending champions will still not be an easy task. Even though Australia are not as menacing as they were a few years ago, they are still world No. 1; and having won the World League Final in Bhubaneswar in December, they are in top form.

Contenders, ranking-wise

Nevertheless, Indian teams always go for gold, at least talk of it, whatever the scenario. In the previous two editions, India were the dark horses and they upset higher-ranked England (in 2010) and New Zealand (in 2014) to reach the final. This time, at least ranking-wise, India are genuine contenders.

World No. 6 India are the second-highest ranked side at the tournament. But being among the favourites also brings along added pressure. “Goals are always difficult to set but being the second highest ranked team, we will definitely go for the highest position,” Marijne said. While in the last two editions, India were the surprise package, in Gold Coast, they will have to be wary of underdogs such as Malaysia and Pakistan. Indian are grouped in Pool B along with Pakistan, Malaysia, Wales and England.

Pakistan, though going through a slump, could prove dangerous given the two nations’ hockey history. Also, India play their opening game, when a team is the most vulnerable, against Pakistan. “The most important match right now is our first game against Pakistan,” said Marijne.

Malaysia, on the other hand, have been India’s toughest Asian rivals in recent times. They have a knack for causing upsets in key tournament, as they did in last year’s World League Semifinals.

Discipline and consistency

Though India are ranked high, they still lack the consistency of teams such as England and New Zealand. There is a tendency of losing focus and losing to lower-ranked teams.

Marijne linked consistency with discipline. “If you are disciplined on the pitch, consistency will come automatically,” said the Dutchman, who started the practice of punishing erring players in the last camp. “…to do well in big tournaments and against top sides like Australia, we need to be disciplined,” Marijne added. But before the prospect of a meeting with Australia, India will have to face the dogged England, whose ranking (7) is misleading. With Australia in the other pool, India will look to top the pool to avoid running into the Kookaburras in the semifinals. India have not beaten England since the 2016 Champions Trophy, but, barring one loss, they have managed to play out a draw on other occasions.

“The team went through an intense preparation camp with focus on specific areas that required improvement. Now it will be all about executing the plans we have against each team to perfection and remain consistent throughout the tournament,” said Manpreet.

Looking for good start

India had a poor start to the year, with a fifth-place finish in the Azlan Shah Cup earlier in the month. However, the tournament was used more as a testing ground. Keeping in mind the busy year — with the Asian Games, qualifier for the Olympics, and the World Cup to follow — Marijne and high performance director David John have tested out many young players and combinations since the Dutchman’s appointment last year. “We saw 50 players in five months and played them in two tournaments each and this group has convinced us the most,” Marijne said. “I am really happy with our preparation. 2018 is a big year for us and the Commonwealth Games is the first big tournament and we want to do well in it.”

Marijne said a good performance would give the team momentum. “It is a challenging and exciting year for us. The Asian Games is very important. Then you have the Champions Trophy and the World Cup at home,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean we will give our 80 percent in the Commonwealth Games. It's about taking small steps which will eventually lead to bigger goals.”