Opinion A guide to London

This time,too,it was rough because there was immense pressure to qualify — we were favourites,playing at home and expected to win. But the players did not allow the pressure to get to them. In fact,it brought out the best,and hence,it is a victory to be cherished.

In 2008,when we failed to qualify for the Beijing Games,hockey had hit the lowest depths — not just because of our performance but because of the way the sport was managed in the country. People started questioning if it should be the national game at all — at times rightly so. In India,we have the habit of putting a sport on a pedestal when it is on a winning streak and then deriding it when it’s down. Already,our cricketers are called zero and hockey players heroes. These extremes are rough on any sportsperson. So losing wasn’t an option in Delhi.

After the 2008 debacle,we’re improving gradually. But people have started asking when we’ll win an Olympic medal. Let’s be realistic. The last time we won a medal in hockey was 32 years ago. In the Olympics or the World Cups,we’ll not be in the top three anytime soon.

At the 2010 World Cup,we finished eighth and underachieved. The high point of recovery came during the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. The 7-4 win against Pakistan was a defining moment. But what was most heartening was the way Indians came back from being two down (1-3) to levelling and then winning the shootout against England. In recent years,we have struggled against big-built European sides,and we’d not been able to beat England for a few years till then. Reaching the CWG final was good,but the thrashing against Australia showed the gulf in class.

This time the teams India faced in the qualifiers were Poland,Canada and France — these are not half as intimidating as a group of Australia,Argentina,Spain,Holland and Germany. There’ll be no breathers against them,but that is not to say India cannot pull it off.

All credit to the way the team has shaped up should go to the coach,Michael Nobbs. It’s the fittest Indian team I’ve seen in the longest time. They played 70 minutes of continuous attacking hockey — Nobbs has shown Indians are capable of that. He’s got the team to play to its strengths — and these do not include holding onto possession of the ball or defending well,which means there’s scope for improvement.

The Indian squad needs to work on three areas: 1. Defending as a team,for they still need a clean tackler; 2. Defence against short corners and 3. Goalkeeper’s defence against drag flickers. The last has been a traditional weakness not because our goalkeepers lack in ability,but because we have very few drag-flick experts in domestic leagues against whom these guys can match their wits. The defence will come under greater pressure against bigger teams,so that’s one thing to work on.

To shore up defence,one possible inclusion could be of Prabodh Tirkey. When he’s fit and raring to go,he’s the best left-half in the world. It’s a key defensive position,and he looks like he can plug that hole. What he needs is some smart man-management skills and good handling. India could also do with the services of Arjun Halappa,since besides Sardar Singh,we don’t have any other creative force to unlock defences — and Halappa’s good in that department. Also,Adrian D’Souza as goalkeeper,even though Bharat Chhetri and Sreejesh are doing a fine job.

What will be important is keeping the players incentivised. All conflicts must be kept aside for one goal. Someone like Sandeep Singh again needs to be kept happy,since once in rhythm he’s world-class,a player who can instill fear in other teams,cause chaos in rival defenders,who then scramble to prevent conceding short corners,which opens up chances for field goals.

I’m not particularly chuffed at the idea of India playing Pakistan in the lead-up to the Games. Nobbs will need to balance practice matches — between victories against lesser teams and competing against teams like Holland and Germany. Also,it’ll make sense if Indians can train in Europe before London.

What we saw of the team was a definite step forward. In the past 10 years,Indian hockey has been in a quandary over what approach to follow. They seemed to be caught between embracing the European style of play and sticking to their own attacking game. Nobbs seems to have removed that confusion,and there is a clarity about each player’s role.

At the heart of the matter is a team that can be described as “exhilarating” to watch. You can’t help feeling happy about hockey.

The writer was captain of the Indian hockey team,express@expressindia.com