Another disappointing performance by the Indian Hockey team with its defeat at the hands of South Korea sums up the story. The defeat not only sealed Indian team hopes but also reasserted the team’s lost sheen.
A string of inconsistent and pathetic performances in the World cup and other tournaments in the past has been the story for the Indian Hockey Team.
Well, shoddy is all one could say about today’s performance againt the Korean’s. Lack of a proper game plan, loose defence and an toothless attack became India’s undoing in today’s match. The team which had a 1-0 lead faltered in the closing moments as in the previous games and conceeded two goals to gift S.Korea the game.
The koreans despite a not ‘too great’ performance looked better students of the game. They created penalty corners at will by penetrating in the Indian defence. The two goals scored by the Koreans came from penalty corners.
The Indians on the other hand neither displayed lightning sitck play neither an astute game plan. They seemed to wait for opportunities to come their way unlike the Koreans who created opportunities and drowned the Indian Ship.
The India team seems to be far from its glorious past which saw the likes of Major Dhyanchand who mesmerized the world with his skills. Today, the sport in India is plagued with bureaucray at the management and administrative level along with lack of funds and proper infrastructure. The admnisitrative body of the game is governed by a tight leash which indicates absence of new thought or change.
Unless change comes about in the hockey governing body in India along with changes in the infrastructure such as more number of astroturf stadiums, better remuneration and coaching facility to players, the game will continue to suffer and the Indian hockey team will continue to bleed for many more years to come….
What do you say..?