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Both the Indian men's and women's' teams rose up the ranking ladder with a series of rousing performances in 2018, but failed to achieve their primary objective - while the women came tantalizingly close to winning gold at the Jakarta Asian Games, the men strode into the semifinals with ridiculous ease before hitting a Malaysian roadblock.
With encouraging World Cup performances to show for their efforts, both the men's and women's teams braced themselves for a quiet period of introspection and recovery in front of the drawing board before getting back to international action.
The Indian men began the year as the highest-ranked team at the Azlan Shah Cup, but failed to get past a dogged Korean defence in the pool stages - and again in the finals, before going down in a pulsating tiebreaker.
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Long before the Indian men travelled to Ipoh, Sjoerd Marijne's chargers began their tour to Spain where they matched the hosts in every department and exacted sweet revenge on the Irish girls who they had lost to in the World Cup quarterfinal.
Aussie veteran Graham Reid joined the Indian camp as head coach just before the Indians set off for an Australian tour ahead of the all-important FIH Series Finals - the first step towards the Olympic qualification process.
At the bustling Kalinga Stadium, Manpreet Singh and co. brushed aside their opponents convincingly, and ended up winners while the women began their Olympic journey at Hiroshima where they continued their quest for retribution by defeating Asian Games champions Japan in the final.
The winning momentum continued in the Tokyo Olympic Test Event and the men's and women's teams rounded off successful European tours before the vital two-legged qualifiers in Bhubaneswar.
The Indian men overcame stiff resistance from Russia while the women breezed past the USA in the first leg before getting past a rejuvenated American outfit in the second.
The Indian women will begin the Olympic year with a tour to New Zealand and also play the Asian Champions Trophy in June while the men take on the world's best teams in the Pro League.
We take a look at three unforgettable moments from 2019 that will forever be etched in the minds of Indian hockey lovers.
#3 India 4-2 Malaysia (Azlan Shah Cup)
Of late, the Indians have managed to turn the tables on arch-rivals Pakistan - remaining unbeaten since the finals of the 2016 South Asian Games, but another Asian power has managed to dent India's pride at the world level, with victories in crucial games, such as the quarterfinals of the HWL Semifinal and the semifinal of the Asian Games.
Post the Jakarta clash, the two sides met in the Asian Champions Trophy late last year, but all the Indians could manage was to hold Roelant Oltmans' side to a goalless draw in a rather insipid contest.
Quite naturally, when the Indians took on Malaysia at the Azlan Shah Cup at Ipoh, fans back home wanted nothing less than an outright win.
The match began at a blistering pace with end to end exchanges but the scoreline stayed blank at the end of fifteen minutes.
Sumit gave India the lead a couple of minutes into the second quarter but the dangerous Razie Rahim (who had scored the vital last-gasp equalizer against India at Jakarta) drew level after Malaysia earned 4 back to back PCs.
Sreejesh was at his best as he made a vital save before Sumit Kumar put India ahead just before half time. The ever-dependable Varun Kumar managed to strike off a drag flick to give his side a two-goal cushion with a quarter left to play but Firhan Ashari's 57th-minute goal stunned the Indians.
Just when it seemed that the Malaysians were on the verge of another epic comeback, Mandeep Singh found the net to seal the deal for the Indians.
A barrage of PC's (9 for each side) ensured that the spectators were on their toes. It was a contest where the video umpire was kept busy, but at the end of the day, it was a memorable win for the Indians who went on to win silver after losing to South Korea in the final.
#2 India 3-1 Japan (Final - Women's FIH Series Finals)
At Hiroshima, Anthony Farry's side went on the offensive even before the Indian defenders had time to settle in, but it was the Indian eves who earned a PC against the run of play.
All eyes were on Gurjit Kaur who had scored 9 goals in the tournament, but it was Rani Rampal who caught the Japanese off guard with a characteristic slap shot that found the back of the netting.
The hosts upped the ante almost immediately with the Indian midfield falling back to help out in defence - but the sheer pace of the Asian Games champions was too much to handle and Kanan Mori scored off a counter to help her side go into half-time with the scores level.
Neither team scored in the cagey second quarter but the tension was palpable.
Back in Jakarta, an injured Gurjit had failed to convert the only PC that the Indians earned, but the star drag-flicker was at her best this time around.
After a period of staunch resistance, not even the fearless Japanese could run her down as she unleashed a lethal shot that gave the Indians their second goal just before the end of the third quarter.
Navneet's tomahawk was padded away by the Japanese goalie as the Indians looked to increase their tally and the pressure paid off when Gurjit scored her eleventh with a minute left on the clock.
Beating the Japanese in their own backyard was something the Golden Girls had been determined to do ever since the finals of Jakarta 2018. Young Indian striker Lalremsiami who lost her father on the eve of the semifinals against Chile stayed on at Hiroshima to inspire her team record yet another momentous win.
#1 India 1-4 USA (6-5 Aggregate) (Women's Olympic Qualifiers 2nd Leg)
Fans rejoiced at the Kalinga Stadium and elsewhere as Rani Rampal led her team out before the commencement of the second leg of the crucial Olympic Qualifiers.
After all, Sjoerd Marijne's chargers had done the groundwork by beating the American girls by a 5-1 margin in the first leg - a four-goal cushion, it seemed, was more than adequate to see the Indians qualify for Tokyo.
The Indians had been a bit lucky in the first leg with the Americans missing some sitters- and the visitors had looked to be the better team, in the opinion of some.
"India may be better today - but maybe we will score the goals," said USA coach Jannekke Schopman in the pre-match interview but few took her seriously.
The Americans began the match with a surge of pace and energy that the hosts found hard to match. Magadan scored as early as the fifth minute while Kathleen Sharkey continued to lead the way for her team scoring a second before the end of the first quarter.
Even so, Indian fans believed that a goal for their team was just around the corner - but that was not to be.
Alyssa Parker got the final touch after a superlative field goal to score the third for the USA as the shell-shocked Indians looked on.
The mayhem continued with Magadan scoring a fourth which meant the visitors had restored parity as the silent Kalinga crowd prayed for a change in the script.
The Indians tightened up at the back in the second half and were a lot tidier on the pitch as the USA were unable to sustain the momentum - but Marijne's team still needed a goal to prevent a shootout.
Captain Rani Rampal's 49th-minute effort brought an entire nation to its feet as the jubilant Indians heaved a collective sigh of relief - the second-leg had been lost, but Mission 2019 was achieved after all - and that was all that mattered.
