Champions Trophy: India's performance ignites hope, but ghosts of 1982 still live

Indian hockey died a sudden violent death in 1982. For three decades hockey fans have waited for its rebirth. Now there is a murmur of good news: there is hope that hockey ke achche din aane wale hain. When India play Belgium for a place in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy at Bhubaneswar today, hockey fans would be hoping that Sardar Singh and his team take one more decisive step forward in a journey towards the game’s revival. This has been a rare good year for hockey. First we won the gold at the Asian games and then beat the mighty Australians on their own astro turf in a bilateral series. If India do well in the Champions Trophy, it would be a sign that finally we are on the road to regaining some of the lost glory. [caption id=“attachment_1845293” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  India’s performances are getting better by the tournament. Getty[/caption] For its fans, a dwindling species, hockey is not just another game. It is a reminder of our glorious past in the field, a poignant pointer towards our erstwhile supremacy in the battle of sticks in Asia, Europe and parts of Latin America. It is a glorious past every nostalgic follower of the game wants to relive. A few days ago, Viren Rasquinha was upset because Suhel Seth failed to recognize him. But India’s hockey players were once the brightest stars on the Indian firmament. In the 80s, when hockey had slid to its lowest, the likes of Mohammed Shahid, Zafar Iqbal, Pargat Singh and Thoeba Singh were household names. Even in the 90s, nobody would have asked, Dhanraj Pillay, who? In fact, for several decades after Independence, hockey was a symbol of a young nation’s pride. It was the only game in which we were pulping opponents with ease and our players like Dhyanchand were international icons and the achievements gave us the confidence that we had the ability to compete with the best in the world. The intense rivalry with Pakistan—now replaced by cricket—generated mass hysteria whenever the two rivals faced each other and helped in making hockey a popular sport among the masses. Then came, as Guns and Roses sang, the November Rain, err the December humiliation. In the finals of the 1982 Asian Games, humiliation rained on India. India, who were expected to win in front of the home crowd in the marquee event of the Asian Games, lost 1-7. The next morning there wasn’t a face that did not reflect sorrow, not an eye that wasn’t wet. The Pakistani trio of Kalimullah, Salimullah and Hassan Sardar didn’t just beat India; their star players completely demolished the belief that we were among the best in hockey. Soon after the humiliation in the Asian Games, India lost to Australia 1-6 in another international tournament. It was the end of Indian hockey. This year, like many others since 1982, did not look promising when India finished 9th in the world cup in Holland. But since then the team has shown signs of a turnaround. The gold at the Asian Games, the 3-1 win over Australia and the victory over Holland after two decades in the ongoing Champions Trophy inspire both confidence and hope. Indian hockey has often flattered to deceive in the past. And it always seems just one loss away from slipping back into its dark hole; like in the 2000 Olympics when it failed to qualify for the semi-finals after failing to beat minnows Poland in a crucial game. The game against Belgium today would tell us if our enthusiasm is justified or it would be 1982 yet again.