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Sunday night saw an absolutely spectacular comeback by the Indian Mens Hockey team as they overcame a 2-0 first half deficit to net in 5 goals to eventually draw the match at 5-5 and then thanks to a superb PR Sreejesh and an equally nerveless Rupinder pal Singh, The Men in Blue clinched the shootout 3-2 to win their first medal in an International Hockey Federation (FIH) in 33 years.The team has put in some extremely commendable performances in the last few years and it has taken a lot of hard work and some major reforms in the setup to overcome the debacle of the 2012 London Olympics, where the team finished a miserable 12thand failed to win a single game.Here are a few things to know about some of the players of the present team:NOTE: Nothing has been taken from the rest of the unit. Just that the following seven played a much bigger role in the win.
#1 Sardar Singh
One of the more encouraging aspects in Indian sport in recent times has been the emergence of players from the Tier 2 and 3 cities and them going on to lead the country to glory. The most prominent example of this, of course, is that of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who provided a whole host of not just sportsmen, but the general public in smaller towns the belief to dream bing and fulfill them as well.
The skipper of the Indian hockey team – Sardar Singh – also belongs to the same bracket as Dhoni, hailing from Santnagar village in Rania Tehsil Sirsa region in Haryana.
Having made his debut in 2003-04 season, the midfielder became the youngest ever Indian to lead the side when he captained them at the age of 23 at the 2008 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
Under his leadership, the team has scaled various heights like winning the gold at the 2014 Asia Cup in Incheon, beating Australia in a Test series for the first time in history in their own backyard and then clinching the bronze at the Hockey World League Final last night.
He personally has had a chequered career, having won the Man of the Tournament at the 2010 Azlan Shah Cup and also being a part of the 18 man FIH team in 2010. The big questions now is: Like he led India to their first Asiad gold in 16 years in Incheon in 2014, will he lead them to a first Olympic gold in 36 years next year in Rio? Only time will tell.
#2 PR Sreejesh: The Wall
Few would argue that India’s PR Sreejesh is at present the best goalkeeper in the world. The 27-year-old from Ernakulam in Kerala has been the pillar in front of the goal for the team ever since he has become a regular in the side since 2011.
Sreejesh was awarded the ‘Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament’ award at the 2013 Asia Cup and was also part of the team that won the silver at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year.
But perhaps the watershed moment of his career came in September last year when he put in an astounding performance in the gold medal match against Pakistan at the Asian games in Incheon, saving two penalty strokes and ensuring his team stood on top of the podium in an Asiad for the first time since 1998.
He was once again in his elements at the Bronze medal match on Sunday when in front of a vociferous crowd, he pulled off two nerve-wracking serves in the shootout to get his side within touching distance of the bronze medal. Due to sterling exploits, he also won himself the Fans Choice award last night.
India will need someone who will guard almost everything that comes his way at Rio net year and there is no doubting that Sreejesh will have to at his very best in a few months time.
#3 Rupinder Pal Singh
For any hockey team to do well, the defense requires more than a few able men to prevent the ball from skirting away to the goal. In Rupinder Pal Singh, India have someone who is not only good defensively but is an equally good drag-flicker who delivers on a consistent basis.
Hailing from Faridkot in Punjab, the 25-year-old made his debut in 2010 and in the following year, scored his first international hat-trick against Great Britain in the 2011 Sultan Azlan Cup. He won the awarded for scoring the most number of goals and also featured in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup XI.
Rupinder was part of the side that clinched the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and also featured in the side that won the Gold at the Incheon Asian Games in 2014.
But perhaps the most critical moment of his career so far arrived last night in the bronze medal match against Netherlands, when with his team side one strike away from the bronze, he netted in the goal past Jaap Stockmann to hand India a stunning win and the bronze in Hockey World League Final.
It goes without saying that the defense will matter a lot for India in the future and ‘Bob’, as he is fondly known, will have a very important role to play in that area.
#4 Birendra Lakra
Another player hailing from a small town, Birendra Lakra is another key cog in the Indian defensive wheel. The 25-year-old from Rourkela first made an impact in the 2012 Olympic qualifiers where he scored the opening goal in the match against France and then played a key role in India reaching the semifinals of the 2012 Champions Trophy, which incidentally was India’s first semis appearance in that tournament for 8 years.
His value was India was visible at the Hockey World League Finals when he started in almost every single match and also won a few Man-of-the-Match awards. Along with Rupinder Pal Singh, there is no doubting that Lakra will have a vital role to play if India are to do well in the upcoming tournaments and Rio 2016.
#5 VR Raghunath
Hailing from Kodagu district in Karnataka, VR Raghunath is another key element in India’s defensive line. The 27-year-old has been around for quite some time, having made his debut as an 18-year-old in 2005.
Raghunath was part of the team that won the bronze at the 2007 Sultan Azlan Shah Trophy and silver at the same event the following year and was named the Player of the Tournament when India won the silver at the 2013 Asia Cup, thanks to his sterling performance.
He played a key role in India’s silver medal win at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year and also was part of the team that clinched gold in the Asian Games few months later.
While he may not have started all the matches from minute one at the Hockey World League Finals, there is no doubting Raghunath has an important role to play with not just his defensive skills but also his drag-flicking skills if India are to do well in the forthcoming events.
#6 Talwinder Singh
One of the youngest members of this team, 21-year-old Talwinder Singh was used mainly as a substitute in most of the games, but he showed good signs in almost all the opportunities that he got.
With the likes of SV Sunil, Ramandeep Singh etc in the setup, it was always difficult for the lad to get a start from the word go, but as I mentioned on top, he showed good signs in the limited time that he featured on the pitch and it will be interesting to see, if going forward, the team management gives him more chances to showcase his potential.
#7 Roelant Oltmans
Last but not the least, we can't end this slideshow by not showering light on the role played by India’s Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans. The 61-year-old was asked to take charge of the team in difficult circumstances after Paul van Ass had to leave his job midway and since he has coached this side to commendable performances in almost every tournament.
Oltmans’s is a very impressive Cv, having coached the Dutch national team to Gold medals in both Olympics as well as World Cups in 1996 and 1998 respectively and is considered one of the most respected coaches in the game today.
The big questions now is : Can he help India win the gold in Rio next year by putting all his experience into play? Lets wait and watch.
