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They began with a surprise draw against the current world champions and winners of the previous edition, i.e. Australia. Then they slipped a goal to an apparently weaker England in the final few minutes of the game, before losing to European powerhouse Germany. With such a wobbly performance in the league stage, you don't expect them to bounce back in style, and claim a podium finish, do you?
But that's what India did. Instead of being overwhelmed by the Belgian challenge, they outsmarted them in the penalty shootout by 3-2, and would've even created history by being the first Asian team to enter the finals of the FIH Hockey World League Finals, had rain not played the villain in the semifinal they played against Argentina, which they lost 0-1. However, refusing to accept defeat so lightly, they bounced back, and surprised a depleted, yet powerful Germany, defeating them 2-1 to clinch a 2nd consecutive bronze medal.
While many are ready to dismiss this bronze medal as a stroke of luck, it isn't. One, the team was playing without its usual stars, such as goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh, midfielder Sardar Singh, forward Ramandeep Singh, drag-flicker V.R. Raghunath. Two, the captain of the team was a midfielder Manpreet Singh, who didn't exactly have the best oftimes as a Captain. Three, star defenders like Harmanpreet Singh were struggling with their form, which was quite visible in the matches against England and Germany. In such a scenario, winning a bronze medal in a tournament, which is equal to that of Confederations Cup in football, or even the Champions Trophy of cricket, is nothing less than phenomenal.
Besides, this team shows a lot of promise. On a technical note, the entire team is one of the youngest, the average age being a little above 22 years. Very few players who have crossed the age of 30 are present in the team; if they are, they're only due to their fitness levels being more than savage, or for their immense talent and experience.
Besides, India are no longer the infamous 'Chokers' from the early 2000s, who used to crunch down at the crucial junctures of a major tournament. They have clinched a historic silver medal at the FIH Champions Trophy in 2016, they're the current Asian champions, having won both the Asian Games and Asia Cup. They're the only team after Australia to have won a medal at the FIH Hockey World League Finals consecutively. Also, if stretched to the point of a shootout, it seems unlikely that the opposition can win against India.
The Indian team's performance, though wobbly in the beginning, has improved vastly, and in some places, reminded us of the glorious journey to the victor's position at the 2016 FIH Junior Hockey World Cup, when India became the first ever nation to win a Junior Hockey World Championship on their home soil.
With that, one does expect a promising future, when the Indian team returns to the blue turf in 2018, with a host of hockey championships lined up, be it the Commonwealth Games, or the Asiad, or even the FIH Men's Hockey World Championship, which would be held at the same venue in 2018, i.e. Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar.
The ball is now in the court of Indian hockey. Let's hope they rise and shine. The schedule for all the Indian hockey teams shall come up soon.
