Forget about flaunting six pack abs, after Indian Hockey Team’s dismal show at London Olympics, they now do not even stand a chance to show their face to the millions of fans who expected if not a medal but then a good show at least.
India, who never were a strong contender for a podium finish, with national coach Michael Nobbs cancelling out the contention ahead of the Games, saying that a sixth place finish is what he was expecting. But then the team failed to live up to that as well and now would be taking on South Africa to determine the bottom place finisher.
With India aiming to avoid a last place finish, it is the new low for Indian Hockey after they failed to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Games.
Ranked 10 in the World, the team was never a force to reckon to. But still it gave a rise to optimism especially after the way players spoke about their chances and preparation. Now the dream is over and India are on the verge of creating history this time for the bad.
And no one is to be blamed for the debacle except for the age old custom of getting satisfied with small things. India qualified for the Olympics after a gap of eight years and it was a reason to be happy, but then India went a bit overboard with the celebration. The team was thrown a sumptuous feast and the players looked like that they have won the Olympics already.
They still were not put to the acid test and the celebration should have been reserved for later. Indian Team actually needed a tournament on their home soil to qualify for the mega event but then they were shown the mirror once they started to play outside the country.
After finishing third in the Azlan Shah Tournament, they had an appalling run in the build-up to the Games. They somehow never learnt from their flaws and paid the price in London where all the teams meant business right from the word go.
Well lot say that the team had got enough exposure events but the fact is Nobbs never actually had enough events under his belt to test his team against tough opponents and when he got some in May; it was too late for him to bring a change.
Known for its weak defence, the team never gave it a thought and rather went in with makeshift defenders and relied too much on the strikers. The faulty decision reflects on the results as India conceded 18 goals in comparison to six scored.
India did start on a reasonably good note against the Dutch and lost 2-3 and it looked like that they would pose a threat to the teams as the tournament progresses. But then it was however not the case and they crashed to one defeat after another.
The main reason behind the slump is due to the inappropriate game plan. All their departments complemented each other awfully and never tried to learn from their mistakes. They failed collectively as a unit and lacked focus. And after every match Nobbs could not help but say that the team never followed the plan and questioned the player’s commitment.
They were playing as though they had already triumphed and were in it just for the sake of participating. And this started right after the Olympic qualifiers in New Delhi. They thought a good show at the qualifying event has put them in the league along with the best teams, but that was not it as they failed to realise the reality and paid the price for.
And the worst thing that has been a key reason for their slump is their fitness. They have been under the scrutiny of physical trainer David John of Australia and he did the best that he could. They did improve, but then went overboard with it and the result was there in front of everyone’s eyes. They could not match physical prowess of the rival teams and were found wanting on the pitch.
Incidentally London was the venue where India won their first Olympic gold in 1948 post Independence and now they have the worst ever finish at the games. Quite a contrasting stats for the record and if the fans were seen grimacing at the Beijing Olympics as they could not see their team in action, this Olympic if not anything, has left them heart-broken.
By Indian Sports News Network
