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The Indian Men’s hockey team last won a gold medal at the 1980 Olympics. Team India's performances have been rather ordinary since, including failing to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
However, the Tokyo Olympics 2020 might see a change in fortune for the Indian Men’s Hockey team as they get ready to lock horns with the best in the world.
The team has the experience of three-time Olympians Manpreet Singh and PR Sreejesh, while also having newbies like Shamsher Singh, who has just six caps to his name.
Hockey India has announced a squad of 16 members which will feature 10 debutants. 21-year old forward Dilpreet Singh is the youngest member of the team while the 33-year old veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will be the senior-most member.
The Indian Men's Hockey squad for the Olympics:
Taking into account the Indian Men’s hockey team’s glorious performance in the recent past and stats in big tournaments, we take a look at its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the Tokyo Olympics.
Strengths:
The biggest positive for this squad will be the experience that PR Sreejesh brings to the team. With more than 230 caps under his belt and a decade of experience, Sreejesh will be the man to go for the Indian Men’s hockey team.
Sreejesh has been excellent under the bar in the last few years and has won games for India single-handedly. His loud calling on the pitch and the way he helps his defenders is a boon for any team.
Read Also: Why do the Indian Hockey teams have only one goalkeeper for Tokyo Olympics 2020?
His combination with his best friend Birendra Lakra is one to look out for. The team’s defense looks solid, with vice-captain Harmanpreet Singh and the towering Rupinderpal Singh leading the troop.
The Indian Men’s hockey team’s defense has the potential to stop any forward line from entering their circle on any given day. 27-year old Surender Kumar is always ready to put his body on the line to stop opposition forwards from making an attack and he is a force to be reckoned with.
Mortiz Furste had regarded Amit Rohidas as one of the best first runners in the entire world and he has proved it time and again. Scoring from a penalty corner has become difficult for teams since the time Amit made his debut.
The midfield looks strong too, with captain Manpreet taking charge along with youngsters Hardik Singh, Nilakantha Sharma, Sumit and youth Olympic silver medalist Vivek Sagar Prasad.
Read Also: Where are India’s silver medal-winning 2018 Youth Olympic hockey players now?
The Indian Men’s hockey team has ticked all the boxes on the defensive line. It will be a daunting task for any team in the world to beat India’s defense and if Rupinder and Harmanpreet start scoring from the PCs, there is no team that can stop India from finishing on the podium.
Weaknesses:
While the defense and midfield have a mix of youth and experience, the Indian Men’s Hockey team will be heading to Tokyo with a relatively inexperienced forward line.
Mandeep Singh and Lalit Upadhyay will be having the onus on them to score for India. The other three forwards, Gurjant Singh, Dilpreet Singh and Shamsher Singh, all from Punjab, share a total of fewer than 100 caps among them.
This time the Indian Men’s hockey team will be without the services of experienced forward trio Akashdeep, Ramandeep and SV Sunil. Coach Graham Reid has left out experienced players and will be going into Tokyo with a forward line that has never been to the Olympics. More importantly, they will be going in with a forward line that hasn’t played much together.
When asked about the omission of seasoned strikers in a press conference organized by Hockey India, Graham Reid explained:
“The Indian team will be playing back-to-back games at the Olympics. Factors like heat and humidity were an important part of the selection process.”
Perhaps that was a major reason why Reid chose younger players instead of the seasoned campaigners.
If a team like Belgium could leave three-time Olympian and World Cup-winning captain Thomas Briels out of the 16, Reid choosing Shamsher ahead of Akashdeep shouldn’t raise many eyebrows. It remains to be seen if the Indian Men’s hockey team forwards can create some magic and help India break its medal jinx.
Opportunities:
10 debutants in a team of 16 going into the Olympics is not always what we see. While this may backfire, the 10 debutants can be the ones who can exceed everyone's expectations.
A few days earlier, in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, three-time Olympian and former Indian Men’s hockey team captain Dilip Tirkey had said the debutants will have to step up if India want to finish on the podium in Tokyo.
21-year old Vivek Sagar Prasad, who will be paired up with Manpreet Singh in midfield, might prove to be a gem for the whole team. Much would depend on debutant strikers Dilpreet and Gurjant, who have played well enough together in the past.
Threats:
The Indian Men’s hockey team is placed in Group A with Australia, Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, and Spain. India, ranked No. 4 in the world, has only Australia who is ranked above them in the group. Looking at their past performances and rankings, it shouldn’t be a problem for India to progress to the quarters.
Japan, being the hosts, might prove to be a dark horse in Group A. India would face a more challenging task in the quarterfinals as Group B is filled with star-studded teams. The Indian Men’s hockey team will have to be in top form from Day 1 if they want to play an easier opponent in the quarters.
Beating teams like Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany might be a daunting task for India.
We can all expect the young team to pull off an exceptional showing and break the 41-year old medal jinx.
