Revision as of 21:46, 6 November 2016

Seven incidents when India have lost the hockey match in seconds remaining in elite tournaments. They are listed in the picture, 1998-2016; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, August 9, 2016

HIL auction 2015: Top Indian and foreign buys; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, September 18, 2015

INDIA’S TRYST WITH FOREIGN COACHES

V Narayan Swamy I TNN

The Times of India

Gerard Rach

First-ever foreign coach of the Indian hockey team. Took over in 2004 just before the start of the Athens Olympics. Was at the helm for a few months before tendering his resignation to join the Egyptian national team

Ric Charlesworth

Joined Indian hockey as a technical advisor in late 2007 before quitting after just seven months

Jose Brasa

Was appointed in May 2009 and removed after the 2010 Asiad. Brasa was replaced by Nobbs

Michael Nobbs

Nobbs was appointed in June 2011 and offered a five-year contract. However, the Australian lasted just two years

INDIA UNDER chief hockey coach Michael NOBBS

June 2011: Joined as chief coach of the hockey team

Sept 2011: India won first tournament under Nobbs: 1st Asian Champions Trophy

Oct 2011: India failed to win a single match in a double-leg, three nation tournament in Australia

Nov 2011: India finished second in the Champions Challenge

Jan 2012: India won 3-1 a five-match series against SA

Feb 2012: Qualified for London Olympics, winning the qualifiers in Delhi

May 2012: Finished last in 4-nation meet in London

May 2012: Won bronze in the Azlan Shah Cup

July 2012: Finished last in the London Olympics

Dec 2012: Came fourth in the Champions Trophy

Dec 2012: Lost to Pakistan in Asian Champions Trophy final

Feb 2013: Won Hockey World League Round 2

Mar 2013: Finished fifth in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

June 2013: Finished sixth in the World League (semis). The top three teams qualified for the World Cup

July 2013: Nobbs served termination notice. He says he resigned due to poor health.

Anglo-Indian teams

The Times of India, Aug 14, 2016

Anvar Alikhan

How the Anglo-Indian community created two No 1 hockey teams

Community set the foundations for the game here. And it was their post-Independence exodus to Australia that built up the sport in that ex-colony Every four years, a billion-plus Indians pray that our hockey team should win a medal at the Olympics, as it has done eleven times before. This year the Indian team does, indeed, stand a chance. But, let's face it, India's 'Golden Age' of hockey is long gone. That Golden Age was between 1928 and 1956. Some pundits, however, would narrow it down to the period 1928-1936, when India, in its first three Olympics, annihilated all opposition, with the incredible goal ratio of 97:3, thus acquiring the reputation of being "magicians with hockey sticks". It's an era we automatically associate with the legendary Dhyan Chand. But it's strange that many of us know nothing about the large number of Anglo-Indian hockey stars without whom it wouldn't have happened. A quick glance at the numbers says it all: At the 1928 Olympics, eight of the Indian XI were Anglo-Indians; at the 1932 Olympics seven of the Indian XI were Anglo-Indians; at the 1936 Olympics six of the Indian XI were Anglo-Indians. But, as Frank Anthony, an Anglo-Indian leader of the time remarked, the hockey talent of this little community ran so deep that it could have perhaps produced six times those numbers of world-class players. Hockey maestros like Carlyle Tapsell, Broome Penniger, Richard Allen, Dickie Carr, Leslie Hammond, the Goodsir-Cullen brothers and Joe Galibardy — now long-forgotten — all played a key role in India's dominance of the game. If Dhyan Chand was "the world's greatest centre forward", Broome Penniger was the world's greatest centre-half and Richard Allen was the world's greatest goal-keeper (allowing only two goals through all the Olympic games of 1928, 1932 and 1936, an amazing record). The other Anglo-Indian stars were not far behind in their prowess, combining a high degree of artistry with a robust aggressiveness.

So what was the reason for this domination of hockey by the Anglo-Indians — who, after all, accounted for only about 0.1% of India's population at the time?

The answer lies in the fact that the game came to India with the British army in the 1880s. While the officers played cricket and polo, the ordinary British soldier preferred the rugged game of hockey. The soldiers first played between themselves, and then they began to play with teams raised from local organisations, like the railways, police and port authorities — all of which employed significant numbers of Anglo-Indians. Soon, hockey was embraced by the Anglo-Indian community as an embodiment of masculine virtue, and it became an integral part of the Anglo-Indian culture: every family pushed their sons to excel at the game. It started in Bengal and by 1895 Kolkata had a number of great Anglo-Indian hockey teams, who battled each other in the newly instituted Beighton Cup Tournament: legendary teams like Calcutta Naval Reserve, Calcutta Rangers, Bengal-Nagpur Railways and Calcutta Customs. In time, leading teams from Mumbai, Lahore, Jhansi and other parts of India joined the fray. Thus, by the time India was officially admitted to the Olympic Games in 1928, there was such an abundance of hockey-playing talent in the country that choosing only 15 players for the contingent posed a problem. Interestingly, Britain, who'd been the hockey champions in the two previous Olympics, quietly withdrew their team at that point — presumably to avoid humiliation from their colonial subjects. They would stay away from Olympic hockey until the end of the Raj.

Meanwhile, Anglo-Indian players played a decisive role in India's Olympic hockey triumphs in 1928, 1932 and 1936. And if World War II hadn't intervened, they would have, doubtless, continued to do so in 1940 and 1944, as well. But after 1947 there was an exodus of Anglo-Indians, and this, obviously, affected Indian hockey significantly. The Indian contingent for the 1948 Olympics in London still included seven Anglo-Indians (it would have been eight, but Joe Galibardy, that brilliant left-half, had to drop out for personal reasons). But by 1952, there were only two Anglo-Indians left in the Indian contingent.

India's loss proved, however, to be Australia's gain. The Anglo-Indian diaspora settled mainly in Western Australia, and created a powerful hockey culture in the state. Soon the Western Australia team began to dominate Australian hockey. And that was the beginning of Australia's emergence as a world hockey power — driven by Anglo-Indian coaches and players, like Trevor Vanderputt, Fred Browne, Merv Adams, Dickie Carr, the five remarkable Pearce brothers, Kevin Carton and Paul Gaudoin. In the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, when India played against Australia, there were five Anglo-Indians on the field — four of them on the Australian side, and only one on the Indian side. And in the 1960 Rome Olympics when India played against Australia, the rival captains in that closely-fought match, Leslie Claudius and Kevin Carton, were both, ironically, Anglo-Indians. Meanwhile, another great Anglo-Indian player, Rex Norris, was masterminding the emergence of the Netherlands as another major world hockey power.

Leslie Claudius, arguably the greatest of the Anglo-Indian players, saw India through to the end of its Golden Age, which culminated in its defeat to Pakistan in the 1960 Olympics. When he died in Kolkata in 2012, largely forgotten, it was the end of an era. In the Rio Olympics, the top-ranked teams are (in ascending order) India, Britain, Germany and the Netherlands. The No 1 ranked team, however, is Australia. There's probably a moral in this story, somewhere.

India and Pakistan: Asian Games

FIGHT OF ASIA

The Times of India Stats: BG Joshi

India and Pakistan have ruled the Asian Games hockey stage for a long time.South Korea may have made an impact since the 1980s but the game's fortunes at the Asiad have revolved largely around the subcontinental giants.Pakistan have a big edge over India in terms of wins and goals but India have had their moments too. TOI captures the top five matches the two teams have figured in at the Asian Games....

1958 Pakistan: gold, India: silver

1962 Pakistan: gold, India: silver

1966 (TOKYO) FINAL: INDIA 1 BT PAKISTAN 0.

After settling for silver in 1958 and 1962, India were on a high in Tokyo 1966, having won the Olympic gold defeating Pakistan in the same city two years earlier. Led by goalkeeper Shankar Laxman, the team began shakily in the final, especially after dashing right winger Balbir Singh was injured and had to be stretchered off. A defensive India held on until the second half of extra time with 10 men -there were no substitutions then -before Balbir was persuaded to take the field . He scored the match-winner with three minutes remaining.

1974 (TEHRAN) LEAGUE: INDIA 1 DREW WITH PAKISTAN 1

It was a typical IndiaPakistan final yet again in 1974 which Pakistan won 2-0 but the league match is remembered more for the way the Indians fought back in the second half to troop out with their honour intact. Goalkeeper Leslie Fernandes spared India's blushes initially, saving Akhtar Rasool's penalty stroke as well as a few attempts at the goal. But Rasool was not to be denied. He gave Pakistan the lead.India struck in the second when Ashok Kumar's fetched them a stroke which Ajit Pal Singh converted in the 52nd minute.

1982 (NEW DELHI) FINAL: PAKISTAN 7 BT INDIA 1

The match that India would love to forget is also remembered for the world-class forwardline that Pakistan had.Spearheaded by Kalimullah and Hanif Khan, they dismantled India with three goals in the first half and four in the second. An injured Rajinder Singh in the defence did not help matters, leaving goalkeeper Mir Ranjan Negi to weather the assault. While it irreparably damaged the reputation of the Indian hockey team, it only reinforced Pakistan's supremacy in the early 80s.

2002 (BUSAN) SEMIFINAL: INDIA 4 BT PAKISTAN 3

It was a battle of India's frontline and Pakistan's prolific drag-flicker Sohail Abbas. A stirring match that is remembered as much for mercurial striker Dhanraj Pillay's flair and Gagan Ajit Singh's mercurial ways.Dhanraj put India ahead 2-0 before Sohail nullified the lead with his missiles. Baljit Dhillon gave India the lead again but Shabbir Hussain restored parity. In a stirring battle towards the end, Gagan fetched India the winner with 69 seconds to go, scoring off a superb pass from Dhanraj Pillay.

2010 (GUANGZHOU) LEAGUE: INDIA 3 BT PAKISTAN 2

It was a year when India had a sterling record against Pakistan, right from the time they beat them at the New Delhi World Cup. Jose Brasa's famous passback technique and the elaborate build-up during attack frustrated Pakistan no end.Sandeep Singh was at his fluent best fetching two goals while Dharamvir scored the other. Pakistan's Shakeel Abbasi and Rehan Butt were on target but the Indian defence held on.But Pakistan went on to win the gold and India secured bronze is a different story altogether.

2012: Rock-bottom at the Olympics

It was a nightmare at London in 2012 with India Finishing last at the Olympics in hockey The Bharat Chetri-led team, in which Sreejesh was the second goalkeeper to the skipper, lost six matches on the trot to land the wooden spoon.

But as a team, they laid it to rest in 2013.

2014: Watershed year

The Times of India

Dec 27 2014

A YEAR OF DEVELOPMENT FOR INDIAN HOCKEY

Abhishek Purohit

Indian men's hockey took giant strides towards reclaiming its long-lost numero uno position with an Asian Games gold, after a 16year drought, and several memorable victories, but the momentum was marred by an untimely and poorly handled resignation of chief coach Terry Walsh. There was a gloomy start to the year due to the men's junior team's poor World Cup performance, in December 2013, finishing sixth in the eightnation Hockey World League (HWL) Final held here.

The players visibly looked out of sorts in the first competition under coach Walsh and it was apparent they would take time to settle down under the Australian. The only positive point in the tournament was a 5-4 victory over a depleted German team.

Most of the players plied their trade in the Hockey India League (HIL), which was eventually won by Sardar Singh-led Delhi Waveriders. Though Punjab Warriors impressed most with an attractive attacking play, the Delhi team pipped them via penalty shoot-out in the summit clash. For Delhi, drag-flicker Rupinderpal Singh and young striker Akashdeep Singh played crucial roles.The Indian team later went to the Netherlands for a warm-up tour ahead of the World Cup.They floundered in most of the matches against a developmental Dutch side, which was enough to demoralise the team.

Walsh worked intensely on the fitness of the players and also sharpened their basic skills going into the World Cup, where they showed enough signs of improvement. However, results continued to elude the team. They suffered losses due to lastgasp goals in the matches against Belgium and England. A timid draw against Spain and a 0-4 drubbing against the eventual champions Australia disappointed everyone. However, they beat South Korea 3-0 to finish ninth.

With their capability in question, the team went to the Commonwealth Games with Walsh proclaiming “improvement“ as his only aim. Their most impressive show came against New Zealand in the semifinal.Despite Sardar sitting out of the match, the young team came from two goals behind to stun the Black Sticks to enter the final. Australia put up another creditable show to beat India in the two teams' second consecutive CWG summit clash.

Neil Hawgood-coached women's team finished fifth in the tournament.The Ritu Rani-led team improved under the Australian's guidance but couldn't bridge the gap between the top teams, which resulted in a mutual separation with Hawgood at the year-end.

Further disappointments were in store for Indian hockey as no player was selected for the Arjuna Award, prompting a prolonged war of words between Hockey India (HI) president Narinder Batra and the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

However, the Indian men's team continued its upward journey and Walsh's firm focus on fitness and ball control started to bring the desired results.

They got a long-awaited result at the Asian Games in Incheon, withstanding the pressure exerted by hosts South Korea in the semifinal before quelling Pakistan's challenge in the final to bag the first Asiad gold since 1996.

The success also made them the first team to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The Indian women's team also featured on the podium, finishing third.

Building on the Incheon success, the team prevailed 3-1 over a weakened Australia in a rare series triumph Down Under.

After being thrashed severely in the first match, the team turned the tables, which also gave a glimpse of their mental resoluteness. Goalkeeper P.R.Sreejesh's improvement and consistency helped India overcome many challenges, making him the most stand-out player of the season.

Meanwhile, the Indian Under-21 team also successfully defended the Sultan of Johor Cup title which also made the year more special and memorable for hockey fans.

But the mood was soured by the resignation of Walsh, who demanded an improved contract that would give him better functional autonomy in team's decision-making, most notably in selecting the players.

Despite valiant efforts by Sports Minister Sarabananda Sonowal and the SAI, Walsh didn't agree to continue. He was also not happy with Batra rekindling his alleged financial irregularities during his tenure with US Hockey. ThIs departed India's fourth foreign coach.

The Indian team did try to get over from the controversy but their Champions Trophy performance was inconsistent.

2015

2015: Junior Men's Asia Cup

The Times of India

Harmanpreet Hat-Trick helps Indian colts lift Jr Men's Asia Cup

Rising to the occasion with their traditional hockey play and Harmanpreet Singh's hattrick, India beat Pakistan 6-2 to clinch the 8th Junior Men's Asia Cup at the Wisma Belia Stadium

2015: Lose in World League Finals

The Times of India, Dec 01 2015

Dutch debacle for India at HWL Finals

Sambuddha Chakraborty

They promised a lot but delivered little when Sardar Singh-led team India slumped to a 1-3 defeat at the hands of The Netherlands in Group B of the World League Finals here on Monday . Registering their second loss of the tournament, RoelantOltmans' boys looked listless and missed numerous opportunities.

2015: Bronze in the World League

The Times of India, Dec 07 2015

Sam Chakraborty

Sreejesh hands India bronze

It was an evening to remember for hockey lovers across the country as India turned on the heat on Netherlands to win bronze in the World League Finals at the SardarVallabhbhai Patel International stadium. Thirty-three years after they clinched bronze in the Champions Trophy , India won a 15-goal thriller and sealed the third place with a 8-7 scoreline via shoot-out as both teams remained tied on 5-5 after regulation time. And, as has been the case in recent years, goalkeeper PR Sreejesh was in the thick of action during the nerve wracking shoot-out, bringing about three invaluable saves. While BirendraLakra and skipper Sardar Singh scored for the hosts, Billy Bakker and Seve van Ass netted for the Dutch before Manpreet Singh was fouled by goalkeeper PirminBlaak. Rupinder Pal Singh stepped up to convert from the spot to send the stadium into a frenzy . India, though, struggled to call the shots in the early stages of the game and the Dutch regularly caught them off guard.

Champions Trophy

1982: Bronze

The Times of India, Jun 18 2016

Manuja Veerappa  When people talk about India's performance in Champions Trophy over the years, one of the first names that comes to mind is Rajinder Singh (Sr). The robust defender of yesteryears, who went on to coach the Indian hockey team, left a lasting impression with a hat-trick at the 1982 Champions Trophy bronze-medal encounter against Pakistan. Speaking to TOI on Friday , Rajinder said, “A podium match is always crucial and when you play Pakistan in a match like that, it is always a high-intensity encounter. We didn't have the best of starts and were left reeling 0-3 within the first 17 minutes of the match. As a team, we always had a never-say-die attitude and regrouped to stun Pakistan. I scored a hat-trick in that match and it is a performance I rate among my best.“

In that high-intensity match, Rajinder converted three of the 12 penalty corners India earned, sounding the board in the 25th, 32nd and 46th minutes. Considered among the best penalty corner specialists of his times, the Olympian recalled playing the match with a stick made in Pakistan! “Khwaja from Grays Karachi King, manufacturers of hockey sticks, had given me three sticks in appreciation of my performance at the World Cup, and the irony of the situation was that I scored the goals with one of those sticks.“

The match wasn't without accidents and injuries. “During one of the penalty corners, my stick hit the wrist of rusher Kalimullah and he had to leave the field with a fracture,“ recollected the 57-year-old.

2016: Silver

The Times of India, Jun 19 2016

India settle for silver amid shootout row 

The Indian hockey team settled for silver, its best-ever finish in Champions Trophy, amid a raging controversy over Australia's second goal in the penalty shootout. Having held Australia 0-0 in regulation time, India lodged a protest against an infringement when Daniel Beale's attempt was allowed to go on beyond the stipulated 14 seconds. The jury took two hours to rule against India. 

Asian Champions Trophy

2016: Gold

Asian Champions Trophy, 2016
The Times of India

See also the graphic

Manuja Veerappa, THE DREAM RUN, Nov 01 2016 : The Times of India

Man Of The Tournament Rupinder Credits Team's Unity For ACT Title Triumph

If dragflick ace Rupin der Pal Singh is given the task of picking his favourite hunting ground, he won't have to look beyond Malaysia. It was here that he made his international debut in 2010 -as part of the gold-winning Indian team at the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament. His first international hat-trick too came in the same tournament a year later.

And, in Oct 2016 he played a key role in ensuring India reclaimed the Asian Champions Trophy crown, with a 3-2 verdict against arch-rivals Pakistan in Kuantan, Malaysia.

While the win was hailed as a perfect Deepavali gift to the nation by many, the 26-year-old from Punjab be lieves it is testimony of the team's unity and ability to back each other. As the highest ranked Asian side (world No.6), PR Sreejesh and his men were pre-tournament favourites, but what makes the victory count is the way in which the youngsters have stood up. Be it Yousuf Affan in the forward line or Akash Chikte in the goal, the rookie players were far from cookies that crumbled under pressure.

Rupinder, who emerged the highest scorer of the tournament with 11 goals told TOI on Monday , “There were a number of players who didn't have much of a big-match exposure. With them, we ensured they never felt the senior-junior difference.We always tell them, irrespective of the years we have put in, we all work towards a common goal.“ Praising Chikte, who stood in goal in place of an injured skipper PR Sreejesh in crucial matches including the final, the defender pointed out, “Akash is very good goalkeeper who has been improving mentally and game-wise with each match. He played with a very positive mindset and didn't get nervous. We never made him feel he had big shoes to fill. Before and during the match, I made it a point to communicate with him to calm nerves and cheer him up.“

Assessing the team's run, the 6'4“ tall Olympian, said, “We wanted to win the title badly because we didn't want to end up third time unlucky . We had lost two finals -Azlan Shah and Champions Trophy -in recent times, so, we told ourselves we have to win this at any cost.“

Apart from his goal conversion, Rupinder also shouldered the responsibilities in the backline. In the absence of VR Raghunath and Surender Kumar, who was suspended for the last two matches, Rupinder rarely slipped up.

Talking about his scoring spree, Rupinder said, “Personally , it been a dream run. My role is that of a dragflicker and I have always wanted to contribute as much as I can in that area.I missed a few against Korea (in the drawn league match) and I know what accuracy in penalty conversion can do to a team's fortune and I didn't want to let go of that advantage.

Also, before the start of the tournament I worked on a few things and was successful in implement ing them. After the Olym pics we went back to the drawing board and re worked on the penalty cor ner variations, especially faking in dragflicks.“

Women's Asian Champions Trophy

In 2003, 2004 and 2016 India won gold medals in both the men’s and women’s sections of the same championship
The Times of India

India’s best performances in WACT

2010: India finished third in the inaugural edition.

2013: India finished runner-up to Japan.

2016: India won the championship.

2016/ India beats China in the finals

India's golden moment, Nov 06 2016 : PTI

After Men, It's The Turn Of Women To Dominate Asia

The Indian women's hockey team lifted its maiden Asian Champions Trophy after Deepika Thakur struck in the final minute to give her team a thrilling 2-1 win over China in the final here in Nov 2016 .

Deepika slotted the rebound in from a penalty corner in the 60th minute of the game to give her team a memorable victory . Earlier, Deep Grace Ekka converted a penalty corner to take India into the lead in the 13th minute before China equalised in the 44th minute through a field goal from Zhong Mengling.

The welcome result for the Indian women's team comes days after men beat Pakistan to reclaim the Asian Champions Trophy in Kuantan, Malaysia.

Having learnt from their group stage encounter, India refused to let China take early control of the ball, clos ing them down high up the pitch, often intercepting their passes and constantly putting pressure by hunting in packs. When in possession, the Indian eves held their nerve and passed the ball around neatly to penetrate China's circle.

See also

Anglo-Indians