The Indian senior men’s hockey team capped off a strong 2015, winning the bronze medal at the Hockey World League Final Round as well as another bronze in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
The national team upset world champions Australia twice in 2015 before going on to stun Great Britian and the Netherlands in crunch games, each of these teams ranked higher than the Blues.
The Roelant Oltmans-coached side can look ahead to 2016 feeling bullish – a good sign for the team given the Rio Olympic Games are only eight months away.
We bring you some key statistics from the year:
· Matches played this year: 35,
W- 18
L- 11
D – 6
In 35 matches: 74 goals scored, 70 conceded
2015‘s injury roster:
Vokkaliga Raghunath (hamstring injury), Kothajit Singh (ankle injury), SV Sunil (shin injury), Rupinder Pal Singh (back injury), Manpreet Singh (shin injury), Dharamvir Singh (groin injury), Nikkin Thimmaiah (shoulder injury), Lalit Upadhyay (hairline fracture), SK Uthappa (groin injury)
· Devinder Walmiki became the , against France in Hockey World League Semifinal Round
· 4 wins against higher-ranked teams – beating Australia 4-2 & 3-2; beat Great Britain 2-1, beat Netherlands 8-7 (5-5)
· Tournaments played in 2015: 7
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, India-Japan Test Series, Hockey World League Semifinal Round, European tour, New Zealand Test Series, India-Australia Test Series and Hockey World League Final Round
· Only player to be dropped and picked to replace an injured player: Rupinder Pal Singh at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, replacing Vokkaliga Raghunath, who was out with a hamstring injury.
· Only instance of brothers scoring in a same match: The Walmiki brothers, Devinder and Yuvraj both scored against Poland in the Hockey World League Semifinal Round
· Top scorer for India in 2015: Ramandeep Singh, with 13 goals over the course of the calendar year
· Milestones players hit in 2015:
Kothajit Singh and Birendra Lakra played their 100th internationals during the India-Japan Test Series (1st Test)
Gurbaj Singh and Vokkaliga Raghunath played their 200th internationals at the Hockey World League Semifinal Round (vs Australia) and at the Hockey World League Final Round (vs the Netherlands)
Yuvraj Walmiki played their 50th international at the Hockey World League Semifinal Round (vs Pakistan)
· Only hat-trick of 2015: Nikkin Thimmaiah, who scored against Australia at the 2015 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia
· Most penalty corner goals in 2015: Vokkaliga Raghunath and Rupinder Pal Singh, who scored 10 each.
· Only player to score back-to-back goals to facilitate a come-from-behind win- Jasjit Singh Khullar in 3-2 win over Malaysia in the Hockey World League Semifinal Round
· The 2015 European Tour was Roelant Oltmans’ first time as head coach after two stop-gap stints in 2013 Asia Cup and 2014 Champions Trophy
· India’s biggest upset in 2015: Beating world champions Australia 4-2 in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup – beating Australia 3-2 in third match of the teams’ test series in Raipur ahead of the Hockey World League finals.
· Most matches played in one tournament: 7, at Hockey World League Semifinal Round played in Belgium.
· India’s top goal-scorer: Ramandeep Singh, who top-scored in three events – the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, Hockey World League Semifinal Round and New Zealand Test Series
· India’s biggest loss in 2015 was 2-6 to Australia at the group stages of the Hockey World League Semi-Finals in Antwerp, Belgium. They also lost by a four goal margin to Belgium in the semi-finals 0-4, and in the event’s bronze medal match went down to Great Britain 1-5.
The loss to Australia, however, saw the most goals India has conceded this
· Most goals scored in a single tournament: 16 - Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
· India’s biggest win in 2015: 4-0 win over Japan in a Test series in May
· India had two head coaches in 2015
Paul Van Ass was in charge of the first three tournaments – the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, the India-Japan Test Series and the Hockey World League Semifinal Round
Roelant Oltmans would take over for the next four events – the European tour, New Zealand Test Series, India-Australia Test Series and Hockey World League Final Round
· Most goals conceded in one tournament: 21, at the Hockey World League Semifinal Round in Belgium
