A national sport, revived

Indian hockey's renaissance may be underway

Hockey, India's national sport, has languished for many years. In the decades after India's independence, it was a rare source of pride for the nation; but, in all the years since India last won Olympic gold, at the 1980 Moscow Games, it has slipped in terms of international competitiveness and in domestic popularity - replaced, essentially, by cricket, in which the Indian team has had greater international success. The nadir surely was at the London Olympics four years ago, when a divided team was humiliated and outclassed, and came in last.

But, in London this year - barely a few weeks before the Rio edition of the Olympic Games - India made it to the final of the Champions Trophy. Up against Australia, the only team that has consistently beaten the Indian side in recent times, the team performed creditably, losing in a penalty shoot-out (that it disputed vociferously and many experts believe that injustice may have been done to India). During that match, Indians outplayed Australia, with better share of ball control and equal opportunities in the circle and shots at goal. They also seemed to be losing their psychological disadvantage with the all-conquering Australians. In previous matches between the two, the Australians would charge in and score three-four goals quickly, wresting the initiative from the Indians. The Champions Trophy final showed that India was on top from the start. Australia is still the world's top team, but India had equal honours during the Champions Trophy final, though it lost the match.

While gold at Rio still appears a distant dream - especially since India is in an unusually tough group - the road to the final of the Champions Trophy will give hockey die-hards some hope. They beat the hosts and South Korea, and managed to hold Germany to a draw. True, many top players on all sides have been rested in preparation for the Olympics, but the signs are propitious nevertheless as the young Indian team ran as hard as anyone else. Unlike in the past, it had plenty of stamina left to be on the aggressive in the final quarter, showing improved fitness, tactical strength and better skills.

The road back from the 2012 debacle at London was hard, but speckled with success. The team won silver at the Commonwealth Games in 2014, and then gold at the Asian Games - their first gold in 16 years. More importantly, it was the runner-up in the 2014 World Cup, after being placed eighth in 2010. This coincides with the emergence of Dutchman Roelant Oltmans, who was appointed "high performance director" in 2013 and then coach last summer. The Indian team's play has now become more focused, more aggressive, and less dependent on outsize individual heroics. Much remains to be done, but an improvement is discernible.

Some credit must also go perhaps to the Hockey India League, which has gone some way towards making the sport remunerative for younger players and exposed them to the tactics, training and work ethic of international talent. Salaries at auction for League players have consistently risen since the tournament was started in 2013, and it has helped energise interest in the hockey-playing parts of the country, particularly the Chhota Nagpur plateau and the north-western states.

Gold in Rio is still an unlikely prospect, although a medal looks more likely than it has for years - remember, India failed even to qualify for Beijing 2008. And too many expectations too soon from younger players may hurt their confidence. But, nevertheless, these signs of a revival in Indian hockey are to be welcomed.