Blackwater
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Indian hockey team finishes last at London Olympics
The Indian hockey captain, the soft-spoken and gentle-mannered Bharat Chetri, isn't given to hyperbole. So when he says that the Indian team's spirit is crushed, you must believe him. The Indian team is indeed crushed, its spirit dissipated, its reputation dust.
India's captain Bharat Chetri (L) and Michael Nobbs react after losing to South Africa. — PTI
We're not going to beat the world's best. The Indian consciousness must be purged of the notion that we'll win a medal at the Olympic Games the next time, or the time after that.
"We thought we were good enough to compete at this level," Bharat Chetri, the Indian hockey team captain, mused today after a nightmare morning, when they were beaten 3-2 by South Africa.
Six matches, six defeats, eight goals scored, 21 conceded - the measure of defeat is crystal clear. India have earned their right to be the 12th among 12 teams. It's been a depressing performance, but the good it has done is that it has wiped out the vestiges of illusion India had been clinging to for years. This illusion, this self-delusion was evident earlier this year when, very unwisely, India went crazy at merely qualifying for the Olympic Games.
The reality has come back and bit Indian hockey sharply in the butt. No one was watching out for this, none suspected this - not after India fought Netherlands hard in their first game, equalising at 2-2 before losing by one goal. But then followed drubbings by New Zealand, Germany, South Korea and Belgium.
Now India knows. We're not going to be competitive in any international tournament except, perhaps, in events where others send experimental teams.
Today, India were never in the game, they were always a step behind. South Africa scored three field goals, illustrating their ability to penetrate the Indian defence and slot the ball in when they got through. Andrew Cronje scored in the eighth minute for South Africa and India could only attempt to play catch-up with them there on. Sandeep Singh scored off a penalty-corner in the 14th minute to equalise, but then Timothy Drummond scored late in the first half, and India were down 1-2 at the break.
Lloyd Norris-Jones made it 3-1 for South Africa in the 65th minute, and Dharamvir Singh scored India's second goal a minute later. Too little, too late. Bad end to a bad tournament.
Michael Nobbs, the Australian who's been in charge of the Indian team for a little over one year, has made a difference: he's got the team faster, he's got them playing aggressive, attacking hockey. Incrementally, the results did improve. At the Olympics, though, the old Indian problem of attacking hard but not scoring blighted their chances.
India had been trying to play like the Europeans, and Nobbs corrected India's course. We must not attempt to be Europeans again.
Sardar Singh, the only Indian player who emerged from India's Olympics wreck with his reputation intact, said later that India didn't learn, didn't evolve in the tournament.
"We kept on making the same mistakes all the time," Sardar said. "We have to be aggressive, we need to be tough in the circle and we have to improve a lot."
"Improve a lot" isn't a hyperbole, either.
The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Sport
BTW who are the thakedar of indian hockey???????????????
