We should go back to the grassroots

Yes, the team has not attained what it set out to achieve, but that does not mean we should go on a tangent and let fly at them, no matter how let down we feel. Imagine what they are going through emotionally drained and mentally smashed, but they still have to be focussed under these trying circumstances and win the next match to ensure that they stay in top 6 and thereby still be eligible to participate at the Champions Trophy. There is a place and time for everything wait till the teams gets back home and then do a thorough investigation.

An investigation not to knit pick and find scapegoats but to structure and streamline the game in a manner that pays dividends and makes the team8217;s performance better. Played 5 won 2, drew 2 and lost 1. This is exactly the same result as what we performed at Atlanta during the league stage. There we lost out by a single point while here we were beaten by the fact that Korea had beaten us in the pool match after points, goals for and goals against and goal difference were the same.

The same could be said about Poland too. With the sharing of points with India, they ended up with the same points as Argentina and had the match ended in a 2-2 draw instead of a 1-1, then we would have made the semis and Poland would have been playing for the 5-8 positions instead of 9-12. Fate dealt us a cruel blow but I would like to blame ourselves for opening the door for the Poles in the last minutes thereby literally slamming the door in our own faces.

Our best performance was against Australia. I feel that we had the skill, were quite fit but where we lost out was on the mental toughness. Having said this, I would like to share my views on modern sport. It is all about winning. How many times have we have heard the old age cliche 8211; that we played well but lost? I am sure all will agree that it is better to play badly and win than to see our stalwarts tearing down the field beating one, then two then three defenders with guile and skill but end up losing the game.

The record book does not maintain how graceful we played but which team won. Grace, artistry and mastery of movement are always a prelude to glorious moments in modern sport.

Behind all this lies a story of blood, sweat and toil. Stories of courage, discipline and determination. Modern sport 8211; we all know 8211; is not just about brawn, but about brains too. Science, research, planning, management and collective knowledge of experts in various fields have made sport much more competitive and lucrative than ever before.

Even though luck is an integral part of life one cannot bank on it 8211; you can never tell when she will let you down.

Hopefully the pundits and those that dictate policy will reflect on what the team did at Sydney and come up with a plan ensuring that the teams of the future will perform with a greater degree of consistency. For me the main focus would be to structure hockey from the grassroot level to focuss on the areas that make a professional athlete 8211; fitness, skill and mental toughness.I leave with you a thought that in future we must emphasize on all the aspects that go into making a professional athlete and concentrate to train to play and not play to train.