Son of hockey wizard Dhyan Chand, Ashok Kumar was shocked by India’s result against Australia in their men’s group match at the Tokyo Olympics. Kumar who scored an important goal in the gold medal match for India against Pakistan in the 1975 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur was also part of the bronze medal-winning team in the 1972 Munich Olympics. The 70-year-old Kumar spoke to News18.com on a range of issues related to Indian hockey.
Is it déjà vu in hockey? How do you reflect on India team’s performance after the first two games?
Whatever assessment and forecast we have had before the Tokyo Olympics, it was largely based on how this team has done under various tournaments in recent times. However, we just saw what kind of pressure the word ‘Olympics’ can bring on. It was pretty evident during our devastating loss against the Australians. There are 10 players who are making their debut in this Olympic Games. That is why experience is so critical factor in such big events.
So, have you now given up on this team?
No, not at all. We still have many more games to play and reaching the quarterfinal shouldn’t be a problem. Yes, the loss against Australia was a huge setback but once they reach knock-out, the young team can play fearlessly again.
But, how do you explain this 7-1 scoreline? Can this young team forget this as an aberration and a nightmare and move on?
It will be tough because as human beings we do get affected by such losses but then as a player we need to keep our calm once we encounter such rare situations. What I feel is that next time when we are going to play in a big tournament, we must play a series against Australia just to assess our level and form.
So what went so horribly wrong against Australia?
Look, Australians always have a great tradition and I was mighty impressed by their vision and accuracy. What is a bit disappointing from Indian point of view is that I get to know that a lot of current players’ idols are not hockey players but players from other sports like football and tennis. I mean this was shocking for me that the game they play, they don’t find enough heroes to emulate? I am not suggesting they should go back to the old-timers but Sardar Singh and Dhanraj Pillay are not the players these youngsters can look up to for inspiration? Same is the case with our women’s team.
Anyway, as you say that all is not lost and we saw the evidence of that in our first game against New Zealand?
Ohh, that game was the mighty (PR) Sreejesh vs. New Zealand! There is no doubt about that since our forward line didn’t do what they are supposed to do. Harmanpreet Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh won’t be winning you every match. We should have some dynamic and enthusiastic players in our forward line. There are bigger issues how the players are being coached from the grass-root levels.
It seems you are extremely hurt after the loss against the Aussies?
As a player we know that defeat is part and parcel of the game but that kind of loss is embarrassing. What hurts more is that, unlike our times where there was lack of facilities or exposure, this team gets everything on platter and yet results are not there to see. We used to have only 11 players who would play for 70 minutes no matter what. The upbringing, family background and overall exposure with the new generation has been far superior to ours and yet if you look at the fitness level (if you compare with the European players), we are still lagging behind.
Do you think that great history of 8 gold medals still overwhelms the new generation?
You must remember that hockey has changed completely from that golden domination by India. It is all about power-play these days. The physical fitness has become more important than your skillset. Same is the case with women’s team as well. We all were getting carried away with the hype and talks that how our ranking has improved from number 8 to number 4 but we failed to realize that Olympics is a different ball game altogether.
Do you think Indian team and fans should learn from the example of West Indies in cricket? Like us, the Caribbean team used to dominate cricket but has been on terminal decline since then and the new generation, as well as former players, have embraced this reality?
Of course, this is something we must consider. We should have embraced this reality a lot earlier. However, I must add since you are giving example from cricket that Indian hockey should have better learnt from the BCCI. The way they handled their icons and great players. How they utilized the services of the former players in coaching and development of the games. Unfortunately, Indian hockey didn’t care enough for its players and the decline of the game is not entirely surprising in this country. Today, millions of kids are playing cricket while domestic hockey is finished in India. Now, the core group of 70-80 players are playing hockey in country.
Has time has come to move on from the glory talks of past as West Indian cricket seems to have done so. Rather motivating the players, it ends up putting a lot of pressure on them.
You can’t obliterate the golden accomplishments of the past, can you? And make no mistake what Caribbean administrators did to their great players; same happened with Indian hockey greats. The services were not utilized and the involvement was avoided and it eventually hurt the game. The way West Indies suffered in cricket, almost similar thing happened with Indian hockey over the last few decades.
Finally, do you think a turnaround in fortune by the current bunch of players is still possible?
Of course, it is possible. Let’s not get too critical of this young team. As I said earlier, once they make it to the quarterfinal, it will be a transformed team in terms of attitude. They will be free of burden and expectations and pressure. Neither the win against New Zealand will matter nor the loss against Australia. They should not lose heart; we all are backing them to the hilt to do well as we were doing before the games. If they play to their potential, anything is still possible.
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