T'was never about the willow against the sticks

A lot of my friends, colleagues, and others are rather perplexed as to why hockey fans such as me, with single-minded determination, do our utmost, by way of blogs, posts, and discussions, to promote the Indian National Hockey Team and choose to "ignore" the achievements of the all-conquering Indian cricket team who are world beaters and are almost invincible today in all forms of the Empire's game.

Several debates, discussions and arguments often ensued regarding the above but things came to a head one fateful evening earlier this year. On June 18, 2017, two showdowns happened that could only have been set up by destiny. India faced Pakistan in cricket and in hockey, both games happening not too far away from each other in England.

Inexplicably, on that day, Pakistan spearheaded by the pace of Mohammad Amir wrecked India's top order in the final. Pakistan, who had barely managed to qualify for the Champion's Trophy ahead of the West Indies, had beaten the world's best cricketing side, India; that too in a final. A few miles away, the Indian hockey team playing in the Hockey World League Semifinal, thrashed Pakistan 7-1. For hockey fans like me, emotions were charged up like never before. It was time to celebrate after a very long wait. It was not just the result that was significant; the scoreline was too!

Going back in time

To understand the emotions involved, in true Bollywood style, we need a flashback.

The year was 1982 and New Delhi had been chosen to host the ninth edition of the Asian Games. It was a proud moment for the country and those fortunate enough to own television sets were treated to magnificent opening and closing ceremonies and some spectacular sporting action. The highlight without an iota of doubt was the finals of the hockey event.

A couple of years back India had claimed Gold in the Moscow Olympics. No doubt, the triumph was aided by a US-led boycott which meant that several hockey giants did not compete in the Games, but it was a time when India and Pakistan were among the very best in the game.

So, when the finals of the hockey event saw the two old rivals clash, it was a moment for both countries to savour, in what was expected to be a close and intense contest. That, however, was not to be!!! In an absolute shocker, the Olympic gold medalists India bit the dust against their closest and fiercest rivals. Pakistan hit the net seven times to the shock and dismay of a proud nation; captain Zafar Iqbal's hapless team managing a solo consolation effort.

The search for scapegoats zeroed in on India's beleaguered goalkeeper Mir Ranjan Negi who was accused of nothing less than betrayal by a stunned media, the purists of the game remaining unresponsive. The movie Chak De India! was loosely based on these very events.

Two years later, in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, while PT Usha missed the bronze medals by a whisker in the 400-meter hurdles, the Indian hockey team did not even make it to the semi-finals. With some amazing talent in the ranks including Mohammed Shahid (who passed away in 2016), Merwyn Fernandes and Zafar Iqbal, India were expected to make a podium finish but fell short. Pakistan won the Gold Medal in hockey in that same event.

A couple of years later in 1986 in the Hockey World Cup in London, a disaster happened like never before. India finished last out of 12 teams; while our rivals Pakistan finished one spot below us. Then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi called for a ban on the Indian hockey team for shaming the nation. But why were both India and Pakistan who had ruled the game for decades suddenly all at sea?

Changes in rules and turf

The International Hockey Federation forced rule changes which suited the European style of play, which was to attack with long passes instead of the artistry of dribbling which Indian and Pakistani forwards had used to dominate the sport. Moreover, the surface was changed to Astroturf, which was super fast, meaning players would need stamina and fitness far in excess of what was needed until that point. This no doubt, again, suited the Europeans and changed the way hockey was played forever.

Subcontinental teams simply did not have the physical ability and stamina to match the European teams and Australia. Indian hockey wizards through the years like Pargat Singh, Somaiyya, Thoiba Singh, Gagan Ajit Singh, and Dhanraj Pillai, ensured by their amazing dribbling and stickwork that the Indian team continued to be a viewer's delight and did everything to please the eye, missing out most often; however, on what mattered the most; that of finding the elusive goal!!

Indian hockey, it seemed was doomed. There was not much support from the media as well. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, hockey was hardly shown in any of the sports channels in India and it was a trend which continued until recently. In fact, one could watch a Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe cricket match live but India playing an international hockey match had to be followed by hockey fans only on the internet.

Even the victories of the Indian hockey team went largely unreported by the News channels as well the printed press. There were no sponsors, no support, no hope, so much so, that Pakistani singer-actress Salma Agha once offered to raise funds for the Indian hockey team in 2010 and sang for them during a match.

Indian cricket in the 80s

In the same period that the above events transpired, what was happening in cricket?

Imran Khan was at his devastating best and along with Pakistan's batting masters Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, and Salim Malik, they spelt doom for India. The West Indies pace battery of Malcolm Marshall, Micheal Holding, Joel Garner and Andy Roberts wreaked havoc while Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge, Vivian Richards and captain Clive Lloyd ensured that West Indies beat India sometimes in less than three days in the Tests.

Yet, it was not all bad. India, magically and against the tide, won the Cricket World Cup beating Clive Lloyd's West Indies and the World Championship of Cricket, a couple of years later in 1985 beating Pakistan. But hold it, win or lose, we all loved the Indian cricket team. Even though we lost in Sharjah umpteen times to the new Pakistani heroes Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamam and co., we never demonized the team.

Whats more, we still love them. Because they were underdogs, and when underdogs win against all expectations, we simply love it. Post-2003, the Indian cricket team turned world beaters and post 2011, have donned an aura of invincibility. The BCCI controls world cricket like no other sports federation. The point is win or lose, cricket never lost support. Hockey and a lot of other sports did.

While a concerted effort was needed to resurrect Indian hockey, nothing seemed forthcoming. Hockey greats such as Ric Charlesworth, Gerhard Rach, Jose Brasa, Micheal Knobbs, and recently, Roelant Oltmans left our shores bitter and disillusioned with the state of the game as one can imagine; fired by the federation for no particular reason.

The resurrection

Yet, slowly and surely, a resurrection has happened. We are now Champions of Asia in both the men's and women's game. Both have qualified for the World Cup. The men's team has won Bronze in the just-concluded Hockey World League. Star Sports now covers most matches that the Indian hockey team plays. The Indian men's hockey team is now ranked sixth, which was the aim and a distant dream for a very long time. It has required a massive effort and all involved deserve appreciation of the highest order.

But for all of us hockey lovers, we still dread the times when we scanned the pages of every single newspaper in vain; to find nothing reported even about a victory. When we checked the program schedules of all the sports channels to ruefully discover that not a single channel was covering either the Azlan Shah nor even the Champions Trophy. To try to discuss hockey with friends who had not the faintest idea of who the captain or coach of the team was.

A family friend of mine once told me, "You and other hockey fans are wasting your time. Indian hockey is dead." How wrong he was, and so were all the others who predicted doom! Indian hockey is back, our players are of the fittest and the best and soon will be the very best in the world.

And lastly, we love our cricket team too. Of course, we do. It was never a case of one versus the other. It was just us giving a voice to the underdogs, when they had none.