Groping in the dark

As hockey in Pakistan continues to decline,their U-21 squad comes to India for Junior World Cup.

India and South Africa were playing a practice match on the floodlit Pitch 2 of the National Stadium on Monday evening,even as Argentina were training on the main turf as per the schedule. At the same time,on a desolated pitch tucked away in a bleak corner of the complex,a bunch of players wearing florescent green jerseys walked in to sweat it out.

The conditions werent ideal as they proceeded to practice in near-darkness,but this being the Pakistan Under-21 team,the backdrop was,ironically,apt.

These are dark times for hockey in Pakistan. It will be the first time in their illustrious history that the four-time champions will not be playing in the Senior World Cup,to be held in the Netherlands in May-June 2014. In the Asia Cup in August,they lost to Korea in the semi-finals and failed to make the grade.

With no senior WC to play for,Pakistan have channelised all their focus and attention to the Junior World Cup beginning in New Delhi on December 6. The event assumes the importance that it has as Pakistan look to wipe the slate clean and build an entirely new squad for the 2016 Rio Olympics and beyond.

Pakistan senior national coach Tahir Zaman is currently accompanying the colts in India and will be keeping a keen eye on their performance here.

We are trying to develop a new team, said Zaman,part of the team that did the memorable World Cup-Champions Trophy double in 1994. In the Asian Champions Trophy last month,which is a senior-level tournament,there were 8-10 players from this squad. We won that event. So,it was a good start. Now,we come to the Junior World Cup. Its a big opportunity for these youngsters.

They are a talented bunch. Many of them,in fact,I hope all of them,will be in Rio. But this tournament will be the real test of their skill and temperament. This is a very,very important event because we dont have a World Cup to look forward to.

as big as it gets

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The 44-year-old Zaman paused here and stressed on the following words. This is as big as it can get for Pakistan at the moment.

Even here,however,Pakistan havent got it easy. They have in their pool Germany,Belgium and Egypt. Germany are the reigning junior world champions and the Belgian colts won the European tournament last year. Zaman called it the Group of Death.

We cant afford to get it wrong in this group. The big challenge is to qualify for the quarterfinals. If we can do that,I am sure we can go on to finish inside top four, he said.

Understandably,then,there was a sense of urgency about Zaman on Monday evening. The team,having landed two hours late in Delhi,couldnt make it in time for their scheduled practice. By the time they reached,after dusk,all main practice turfs were occupied,and they were relegated to Pitch 3,without floodlights.

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Zaman approached the South African team management to see if a match between the two team could be worked out. But they lost out on that prospective warm-up game with South Africa to a team Pakistan dont like to lose to: India.

Theres again a symbolism here. Pakistani hockeys recent decline has coincided with a increasing sense of optimism about Indian hockey. In the Asia Cup,the same event where Pakistan failed to make the 2014 World Cup,India finished second and qualified. Zaman watched from the sidelines. He felt that there wasnt much gap between the two teams,but added that he could see that the Indian hockey had hit an upward curve.

Over the last couple of years or so,I have seen the Indian federation has set a few things in motion. They have appointed coaches,foreign coaches,for longer periods. They have brought in Roelant Oltmans as their high performance director. Gregg Clark is working with the junior team. Terry Walsh with the senior team. There is one unifying philosophy that seems to be governing Indian hockey. So I believe they are trying, he said.

Zaman insisted that the Hockey India League has also helped,something Pakistani players could have gained from as well,had political issues between the two countries not barred from the event last year. It is unfortunate that Pakistan missed out on the HIL. If Pakistani players are allowed in the HIL,it will be mutually beneficial. They will learn from it and will have financial security as well. The league will also be richer with the Pakistani flavour to it. Overall,it will help the game in the subcontinent.

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On a macro level,sportsmen are ambassadors of their countries. They bring the message of peace and friendship. And in an event like the Hockey India League,the Indian and Pakistani players dont always play against each other but also with each other. Friendships can be built and nurtured. But for that to happen,we need to break this barrier first, he added.

The broken barrier,then,could pave way for more India-Pakistan Test matches.

Its a travesty that the two teams dont play bilateral matches anymore. One of the biggest pull in the world of hockey,just like in cricket,is an India-Pakistan match. It brings people to stadiums and viewers to TV sets, Zaman added. If the sport has to flourish,if it has to be in the pink of its health,I believe it wont be done by Indian hockey alone. Or Pakistani hockey for that matter. It has to be done by Indian and Pakistani hockey together.