India’s campaign in their second successive Hockey World Cup at home got off to a dream start as local boy Amit Rohidas scored a fine goal in front of a packed house and the hosts beat Spain 2-0 At the spectacular new Birsa Munda Stadium in hockey hub Rourkela. Ten days later, the excitement bubbled over as sixth-ranked India crumbled under pressure against 11th-ranked New Zealand and Lost cross-over matches via penalty shoot-out To the disappointment of the capacity crowd at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. Now India, which has finished in the top eight in the last three World Cups it has hosted, will play for the ninth to 16th spots. India’s premature exit – which had 13 players from the Tokyo Olympics and 14 players from the 2018 World Cup (where it reached the quarter-finals) – proved to be a blow, especially as the team finished as Olympic medalists for the first time. entered the World Cup. in four decades. The postmortem has started and questions are being asked about some of the old cast being dropped from the team. Even though choosing the players was the prerogative of those who were tasked with it, some flaws were clearly evident.
poor penalty corner conversions (five out of 26, mainly due to an off-colour drag-flicker and captain Harmanpreet Singh), a porous defensive structure, forwards’ below-par showing (four field goals in as many matches), Losing possession of the ball at crucial moments and a lack of consistency in maintaining the intensity prevented the Graham Reid-coached side from achieving their potential. Nine goals from 94 circle entries and 49 shots on goal were telling figures of India’s woes. Key midfielder Hardik Singh was ruled out of the pool stage due to injury and top goalscorer PR Sreejesh was injured during the shoot-out against New Zealand. India’s chances could also be hampered with some experienced hands not getting a chance during the shoot-out. India needs to do a reality check and resolve the issues at the earliest before the Asian Games to be held this year and the Paris Olympic Games to be held in 2024. Now, Hockey India president and former India captain Dilip Tirkey, who has highlighted the areas of concern, needs to take corrective steps to get the team back on track. Implementing plans like reviving the Hockey India League and identifying a larger pool of drag-flickers to give quality exposure to young Indian players will help raise the level of hockey.