Litmus test for Indian Hockey
The Olympic qualifiers, to be held at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi, from February 18 to 26, when the men and women teams strive to qualify for the 2012 Games will be keenly watched, reports M.S. Unnikrishnan

IT will be a trial by fire for Indian hockey in London Olympics. Indian hockey hit the nadir when the men’s team, eight-time Olympic champions, failed to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Games for the first time in the 80-year history of the game. Since then, hockey has been beset with factionalism and one-upmanship, with Hockey India and Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), claiming to be the sole custodians of the game. This turf war resulted in India losing out on hosting the prestigious Champions Trophy in Delhi in November last year, as the International Hockey Federation (FIH) shifted the event to Auckland (New Zealand). 

The Indian hockey team practising at the National Stadium, New Delhi Tribune photos: Mukesh Aggarwal

India did not qualify for the Champions Trophy, but had it been hosted in Delhi, the country would have got a chance to play as the hosts. The FIH wanted Hockey India to be made the sole body ruling  the game, but the Sports Ministry and the Indian Olympic Association took differing stands, primarily on account of the matter being under litigation. When the FIH insisted that it will not accept the truce which had been worked out to enable a working relationship between Hockey India and IHF for the smooth running of the game, at the behest of Sports Minister Ajay Maken, India lost out on hosting the Champions Trophy, but a visit to India by FIH president Leander Negre enabled the IOA and the Government  secure an assurance that the Olympic qualifiers will not be taken away from Delhi, as it will be the last chance for India to make the  Olympic cut. But the FIH relented to retain the qualifiers in Delhi with a rider, after it recognized Hockey India as the sole controlling authority for hockey in the country, forcing the Government to fall in line, though the Sports Ministry was keen to take the IHF too on board, mainly on account of it being run under the baton of super cop KPS Gill. 

As a result, the IHF-promoted ambitious World Series Hockey (WSH), to be held on the pattern of the IPL Twenty20 cricket, offering a lot of cash to the players, officials and the franchisees, had to be rescheduled, which is now slated to be held from February 29. These are difficult times for Indian hockey, as the country just cannot afford to miss another Olympic bus, as it would be suicidal for the game in the short and long run. The Olympic qualifiers, thus, have come as a god-send for India to qualify, though despite home ground and home advantage, and a rather weak field, it would not be a cakewalk for the hosts. Only one team would qualify for the Olympics from the qualifiers here, and teams like Canada, France and Poland are determined to spoil the Indian party. Canada have been preparing for the Olympic qualifiers since the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, in which they had finished fifth at the National Stadium here, and they also boast of three players of Indian origin, including captain Ken Pereira. Poland and France too cannot be written off lightly, as they can prove to be a thorn in the Indian flesh. 

Yet, India are firm favourites to top the qualifiers, as they have a well-knit team, despite the rumblings created in the final choice of players by excluding former captain and forward Rajpal Singh, due to his vocal support for the World Series Hockey. Rajpal was axed as the team management’s assertion that the 18-member team for the Olympic qualifiers, led by goalkeeper  Bharat Chetri, were selected on the basis of form and fitness. The  Indian  team have been practising at the National Stadium since January 11, and Hockey India and the Ministry have not spared any effort to provide the teams with the best possible facilities, including competitions and practice. 

Former Australian player Michael Nobbs, has been hired as the coach

Sandeep Singh’s expertise in penalty corner conversions, with his immaculate drag-flicks, should stand the men’s team in good stead, though Gurbaj Singh’s absence, due to injury, will be a setback in the defence. 

India have appointed a new foreign coach, former Australian international Michael Nobbs, to turn the fortune around, and so far, Nobbs has done a commendable job. He has been hired for a hefty monthly salary of $10,000—the highest being paid to a foreign coach--- and the hockey fraternity, the Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India are looking up to him to deliver. 

India open their campaign against late entrants Singapore, who replaced United States, on February 18, followed by matches against Italy (February 19), France (February 21), Canada (February 22) and Poland (February 24). All the hosts’ matches are late evening ones, affording the players enough time to rest and recuperate. 

For Indian hockey to have a bright future, for young players to take up the sport, it is imperative for the men to qualify for the Olmpics, while the women too are eyeing an Olympic slot, though they have never created hardly any  ripple in the Olympic arena. The Indian women, ranked 13th by the FIH, are a notch below South Africa, but are ahead of Italy, Canada, Ukraine and Poland, which gives them the confidence of making the Olympic cut. Coach C.R.Kumar is confident that if the hosts could take care of South Africa, the rest of the journey should not be that much tough, he  would not take any team for granted.

Seasoned player  Jaspreet Kaur Handa, one of the five current players to have played in the Olympic qualifiers in Kazan (Russia) four years ago, felt this was India’s best chance to gain a berth in the Olympics. The recent Test series against Azerbaijan at the National Stadium helped the women assess their plus and minus points, and their thrust in the coaching camps has been to iron out the flaws and consolidate on the strong points, though fitness and stamina continue to be areas of concerns.