It is good to be updated with the latest news about the Indian hockey scenario. It is very interesting that the Indian hockey had undergone so many changes in the recent years.
Earlier this year in April, the Indian hockey team pulled off an exceptional victory over Malaysia, their hosts in Ipoh. Their score was 3-1 and that got them the Sultan Azlan Shah cup. This is their fourth win after 1985, 1991 and 1995. One could see the brilliant play of Arjun Halappa who created nearly 6-7 moves. One must also appreciate Sandeep Singh who was awarded top scorer. Gurbaz Singh had some exceptional moves on the right flank, which ripped the Malaysian defense to pieces. A special applause to Ignace, Sardara and Arjun, who held the midfield under their control during the game.
It was good news for the Indian Hockey team when they heard that the Spanish hockey coach Jose Brasa had been appointed their mentor till the Asian Games in 2010 in Guangzhou. It was Brasa who was behind the gold medal the Spanish women’s team won at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. It is not surprising then that he will be paid Euros 84,000 for his services. Brasa’s first mission was to coach the Indian team for the May 9-16 Asia Cup in Kuantan, Malaysia. The previous year had been a sad time for the Indian team as they had been without a coach after Joaquim Carvalho retired in March, 2008. Ric Charlesworth had done his bit as technical advisor for a brief spell. It was Harendra Singh who was responsible for coaching the team to victory in Malaysia the previous month and got them the Sultan Azlan Shah cup.
India can only hope that things will get better after they lost the Asia cup to Pakistan. It was Sohail Abbas of Pakistan who was responsible for the winning goal. No one knew or could have guessed which way the wind was going to blow as both teams played extremely well. When Pakistan started turning on the heat India matched it with equal fervor. Pakistan, however, wasted quite a few penalty corner attempts, as the Indian defense was exceptional. For India, it was SV Sunil who shone brilliantly that day.
Hockey India appointed a new selection panel this September. The new panel consists of two women and three men. The women selectors are Madhu Yadav who was 1982 gold medalist of Asian games and Sita Mehta who had served as the Indian captain. The men are B.P.Govinda, former India captain, Olympian Balbir Singh and goalkeeper Muneer Sait who is also an Olympian. They will serve as selectors for a year.
Now everyone is waiting for the FIH men’s hockey World Cup which will be held from February 28 to March 13, 2010. The host team, India has already qualified along with eight other teams. The other qualifying teams are England, Canada, Netherlands, Korea, Germany, South Africa, Australia, and Spain. Only three more places to be filled and everyone is waiting eagerly.
The scene is getting hotter and the Indian team is getting better. The next season is going to show the true colors of our players and we hope it will be beyond our expectations.