The team failed to bring home a medal but they managed to reach the quarter-finals, which was a good achievement at the time.
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Indian hockey might have been a force to reckon with in the early and mid-1900s, but they are nowhere near that level in the present, and nor will they be anytime soon quite frankly. Still, the team displayed a few good performances during their campaign in the 2016 Rio Olympics. The team failed to bring home a medal but they managed to reach the quarter-finals. Given their form at the time, that was a pretty incredible achievement. Of course, it might not be remembered as there was no prize at the end, but it is one that must be commended by the Indian supporters.
The team was led by goalkeeper PR Sreejesh. The likes of Ramandeep Singh, Nikkin Thimmaiah, Akashdeep Singh, and vice-captain SV Sunil made up the attacking department of the side. Yes, they were all good players, but there were always going to be questions about whether they could hold fort on the greatest stage. Not only that, the players had to shoulder the pressure of the country’s rich history in the sport. Expectations might not have been high but history is something that can inspire athletes and put pressure on them at the same time. The squad did have a decent mix of youth and experience but pressure is something that bothers everyone. Looking back, the players did quite well to reach where they did despite all of that.
India was drawn in a very difficult group alongside the likes of Ireland, the Netherlands, Argentina, Canada and Germany. They played their first game of the campaign against the Irish. To be fair, they did win the match, but it was not convincing at all. The Indian side might have not been what it used to be, but there are certain games where fans expect a comfortable victory. The match ended with the Indians edging out a nervy 3-2 victory. The defensive vulnerability was exposed but the attack did well to make up for it. A brace from Rupinder Pal Singh and a goal from VR Raghunath saw India grab three valuable points.
It might have been a nervy win, but it surely filled the national side with some confidence heading into the second match. However, all that confidence was about to be thwarted. India faced off against Germany and was handed a tough 2-1 defeat. The Germans took the lead through Niklas Wellen in the 18th minute. Five minutes later, Rupinder Singh equalised. The Germans then went ahead again in the 60th minute through JC Ruhr, and that goal proved to be the decider in the crucial tie.
Ahead of the third game, the Indian side knew that they had to come up with the goods and make a strong comeback in the competition. They did exactly that. The team was up against Argentina, and CS Kangujam handed the Indians a crucial early lead. It was just the eighth minute when the side was 1-0 up against the Argentines. Their lead was doubled some 27 minutes later as Kothajit Singh’s strike found the back of the end. Within 40 minutes, India was leading 2-0 and victory seemed in sight. However, Argentina was not going to go down that easy. Gonzalo Peillat scored in the 49th minute and India had to fight tooth and nail to earn the three points and stay alive in the competition.
India’s joy, however, was short-lived. They knew that a win against the Netherlands would guarantee them a place in the next round of the competition. Spirits were high as the Indians took the pitch, and they started the match quite well. They created a few good opportunities while keeping the Dutch at bay for over 30 minutes. However, the Dutch did score first. Rogier Hofman’s strike in the 35th minute gave them the lead, the Indians responded strongly as they equalized through Raghunathan in the 38th minute. The Dutch eventually went on to score the winner in the 54th minute, leaving India in a rather tough spot.
A loss was out of the question in the last group game if India was to qualify for the latter stages of the competition. Their final group opponent was Canada. They had to at least tie the match if they were going to qualify for the quarter-finals. The 3rd minute of the match proved to be highly eventful as both sides scored. Akashdeep Singh’s strike found the back of the net as well as Scott Tupper’s. It was back to square one within a single minute. Ramandeep Singh scored in the 41st minute to make it 2-1 to India, but Tupper struck again in the 52nd minute to level things up. The match ended 2-2 with India finishing fourth in the table, and just barely qualifying to the quarters.
This was enough. For the team, for the coach, and for the fans, People often tend to forget that Indian hockey is not what it used to be. They can no longer roll over other teams, they have to fight with everything for each point, and there will be times when the team will fail to win the big tournaments. And that is okay. It takes time to build a side to be one of the world’s best. Sure, India lost the quarter-final 3-1 to Belgium, but the competition was not one where they underperformed. They did rather well, and now ahead of the 2021 Olympics, they will look to build on this performance, and hopefully go a few steps further.
