How India forgot to cheer its women's hockey team
Empty stands stood out as an eyesore at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi where Indian girls' hockey team brilliantly fought against Poland in the World League Round 2 final on Sunday. While the men's team hogs the spotlight throughout the year, the girls quietly toil under their shadow.
For an average Indian, women's hockey resonates more with Shah Rukh Khan's Bollywood blockbuster Chak De India than the game itself. In the 2007 movie a bunch of girls, as different as chalk and cheese, come together from length and breadth of the country and rise above their parochial feelings to triumph at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. It was based on a true story, well crafted and brilliantly executed. One would have expected women's hockey to turn a new leaf after the success of the movie. It, though, never happened.
The bitter truth remains that even today women's team does not enjoy the attention which their men counterparts do. Their failures draw more attention than their success. But that has not deterred the girls from charting out their own course. There has been a steady improvement in the quality of their play under coach Neil Hawgood, who though is no more with the team. New coach Anthony Thornton will take over the reins soon.
The improvement in the girls' playing standards is there for everyone to see as they seek to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics. In that respect the World Hockey League round two was a crucial tournament for the girls. Having made the finals of the tournament has ensured them a place in the Round 3 of the League which will allow them a shot at Olympic qualification.
True, Indian girls were the highest ranked team (13th) in the just-concluded tournament but still they needed to justify their billing. Led by an experienced campaigner in Ritu Rani, they made a statement on intent the way they crushed every team ruthlessly with inflated score-lines. The fact that they have conceded just one goal in the tournament that, too, in the final against Poland after playing six matches, is an impressive statistic.
Poland is a few places below India in terms of rankings (26th) but they had given good fight to the hosts with their solid defending and structure. India girls, however, stepped up and proved their superiority when it mattered.
It is a well-settled team with a healthy mixture of youth and experience. The indigenous skills of hockey come naturally to these girls and in the last couple of years they have worked hard to polish their craft. The bronze medal in the Asian Games is a testament to their rising graph. They still need to work hard on areas such as penalty corner conversion but that will only come with more exposure. One of the things that have hampered their growth, in fact, is the lack of tournaments, something which the association is looking at now.
Speaking to the girls, one can't help but feel their steely resolve to become the first Indian women's team to qualify for the Olympics. Only once the women's team has played at the grand stage. It was in 1980 when the women's hockey was introduced in the Olympics, but it was through invitation. The current lot play for the passion of the game. They come from humble backgrounds anchored by their dreams. All they crave is to make the country proud in their favourite sport and chart a name for them. They need our support and recognition. Only then there will be a true "Chak De" moment for the Indian women's hockey team.