It is unfortunate that after winning the gold in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the tradition of having a defensive coach in Indian hockey started. Due to this our hockey could not rise up as far as performance is concerned. And hence, as a result, our forward line kept getting weaker. It is arguably true that defense matters a lot, but this approach is not good.
If you look at the forwards of Indian team, then you will find that all the hype that was created about them could not stand the test. It was even said about Mandeep that it is very difficult to stop this player. I have seen him score goals only in the semi-finals. If it was really difficult to stop him, his stick should have scored many goals. Lalit Upadhyay is also completely disappointing. The rest of the forward players also did not have that game that we would have expected from them that would allow them to clinch a gold medal. Nevertheless, the overall performance of the team is commendable in itself.
At this point in time, Indian hockey needs to work within 23 yards, and the 23 yards of the opposition. Earning as many penalty corners as possible when the opponent forward line enters 23 yards in your area is important, as today’s hockey has largely been limited to penalty corners and 23 yards of play on either side. At the same time, the defense should try not to let the opposition forward succeed in its 23 yards. The secret of Belgium’s success in international hockey is scoring on penalty corners. Alexandre Hendriks made a big contribution to Belgium by making his team the champions by scoring seven goals in the World Cup. He also scored three goals against India and has scored 14 goals in this tournament so far. Harmanpreet also scored five goals from the penalty corners. The Australian hockey team, however, is an exception, as they are very good at field goals.
The Indian team has given up in the fourth quarter against Belgium. Belgium’s excessive possession of the ball and their aggression ruined it. Their thinking proved decisive. However, our team did a great game against Argentina. I still stand by my point that we should have relied on experienced players in the forward line. Ramandeep, SV Sunil and Akashdeep had experience.
I also believe that after an age the player starts playing hockey with their mind which proves to be very useful for the team. Our defensive coach should have been trained to score as many goals as possible. As a result of his defensive approach, we became very defensive in the last quarter against Britain also. It was our luck that we won, and this weakness of ours was hidden.
The author is a former Olympian and has played in four World Cups. Views expressed are personal.