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Tokyo 2020 Olympics: India vs New Zealand talking points

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Sun, 25 Jul 2021 01:02:00 +0000

It is never easy, watching Indian hockey team play. Especially, in the last few minutes when the team

Sreejesh bossed India's defense yesterday

usually concedes and throws it all away. Yesterday, was a different day under the guidance of a player who has numerous times have helped India come out of the top- PR Sreejesh. Defense led by PR Sreejesh, nearly played out of their skins to deliver India first win of the game.

Throughout the game, India’s defense was on their toes denying New Zealand and work on creating goal scoring opportunities for Indian attack line. With midfield put out of equation, the defenders, pumped up long troubling balls to New Zealand striking circle. Rupinder Pal and Harmanpreet combined well to three of the five penalty corners to put India in the commanding position. And, survived last minute New Zealand onslaught. All, in 60 minutes of play.
While defenders scored full marks yesterday against New Zealand, the rest of the team well has lot to improve upon.

Here are three talking points from India vs New Zealand’s opening game at Tokyo Olympics

Experience Matters

At a major event like Olympics, experience matters a lot. It was once again proved yesterday by the performance of both the teams. For New Zealand, the team used all their experience to attack Indian goal the final minutes to search for an equalizer while Indian defense, the most experienced part of the side made used of all their huge experience to deny New Zealand from scoring. Sreejesh, Surender Kumar and Amit Rohidas were rock solid on the field and despite gigantic pressure kept their cool and helped India to safety. On the other hand, lack of experience in midfield and forward line was clearly visible.

Huge confidence booster for Rupinder Pal

Rupinder Pal Singh, hasn’t had a good last couple of years. In and out of the team due to his form and playing a secondary role to Harmanpreet Singh has surely dent his confidence. Emergence of Varun Kumar and Amit Rohidas too have threatened his place in the Indian team. However, yesterday’s game against New Zealand would have surely boosted his confidence and could have sparked his revival. His first penalty corner was just an inch shot from perfect as it hit the cross bar but his goal from penalty was shot in the arm. He continued to grow as the game progressed and was instrumental in helping India defend 3-2 lead.

Midfield needs to be more assertive

Manpreet Singh is a star, and he continues to give star like performance in every game, but he alone cannot carry the burden of the team. Hardik, Nilakantha, Vivek Sagar and Sumit also must step up and support him in the games. The game against New Zealand just highlighted the same point. While Manpreet was closely marked by the New Zealand team, there was no support from the rest of the midfield. There was a time in the first half when the midfield was completely blocked from receiving the ball and the defenders had to rely on to pushing long balls to help India attack. There is no doubt that Manpreet is going to be closely marked for all the upcoming games, but the entire midfield just cannot go missing. Hardik and Vivek being the most talented must take responsibility of running the show.

With less than 10 hours to go for India’s second game against Australia, it would be interesting to see how India cope up and prepares for the game.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics: India survives last minute scare to beat New Zealand 3-2

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 03:31:00 +0000

It is never a dull moment with Indian hockey team. Ghosts of last minutes were once again visible as

Harmanpreet Singh scored two goals for India

Indian hockey team that saw Indian hockey fans hold their breaths as Indian defense bailed out the team against New Zealand in their opening match of Tokyo 2020. Earlier two goals by Harmanpreet and one goal by Rupinder Pal Singh put India in an advantageous position against ninth ranked New Zealand team.

Traditionally a slow starter in big events, Indian team management would have felt relieved with the win against the team that has been a bogey for India

As it was expected before the game, early jitters of big event caught both the teams as there was scrappy start to the game. After exchange of early barbs, India had a great chance of taking the lead in the game after India won a penalty corner, but Rupinder Pal Singh’s drag flick hit the bar that denied India a lead.

Rattling of the crossbar seem to wake Black Sticks up as they upped the ante and won a penalty corner themselves. Penalty Corner expert Kane Russell made no mistake and converted the penalty corner to give New Zealand 1-0 lead.

With Indian midfield taken out of equation by man marking, Indian defenders had to step up and they started pushing in long ball to help India level the score. The strategy worked with Rupinder Pal Singh winning penalty corner that helped India level through a penalty stroke.

India survived multiple scares in Q1 as New Zealand won 4 back-to-back penalty corners. However, Indian defense was once again vigilant and denied New Zealand any chance to score.

As the nerves calmed down, the play opened and in 26th minute of the game Harmanpreet converted penalty corner to give India 2-1 lead. Q3 start was brilliant for India, with Harmanpreet Singh again scoring to give India 3-1 lead. It did not take long for New Zealand to reply, and they scored a field goal to reduce the margin 3-2.

Quite a lot has been said and written about Indian team and the last minutes of the game. Today was no different as India were put to test by Black Sticks in the final few minutes of the game. Some clever work with referrals and great defending by Sreejesh helped India keep New Zealand from scoring. The final hooter brought relief to both hockey fans and players as Indian team won their first game of Olympics.

India will next take on Australia tomorrow, who too had an interesting outing against Japan. The way first two games have been played, it is surely going to be a nail-biting match tomorrow

Goal scorers

India- Rupinder Pal Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (2)

New Zealand- Kane Russell, Stephen Jenness

Tokyo 2020 Olympics Hockey: The Numbers Game- Players

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 15:54:00 +0000

When it comes to hockey statistics, no one even comes close to departed B.G. Joshi. A fan who made

The Numbers speak

his life mission to cover and complete hockey statistics. Such was his reputation; he was a go to person for every journalist when it came to hockey statistics. Even FIH, the international hockey federation would consult him when they needed any help with the numbers.

Though we are nowhere near B.G. Joshi, we are still trying our best to cover the numbers based on the data available to us as a mark of respect to the great guy who dedicated his life towards the game, we all love.

Here are some of the key numbers with regards as we ring in in to 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

OLDEST PLAYERS

Juan Vivaldi of Argentina is the oldest hockey player to take part in 2020 Tokyo Olympics at the age of forty-two. This will also be his fourth Olympics. Second most aged player is also a goalkeeper- Quico Cortes of Spain. Aged 38 years old, he would also be playing in his fourth Olympics.

Oldest women player of the tournament is also from Argentina. Sofia Maccari, who turned 37 this year will be playing in her second Olympics games. Interestingly, top three players in terms of age belong to Argentina.

YOUNGEST PLAYERS

Valentina Raposo of Argentina and Jette Fleschutz of Germany are the youngest hockey player in Tokyo 2020 Olympics at eighteen years old. They are joined by Amy Lawton of Australia, Sharmila Devi and Salima Tete of India, Sarah Mcauley of Ireland, and Katie Doar of New Zealand to complete the women players in their teens.

In men side, Sean Findlay of New Zealand and Mustaphaa of South Africa are the teenagers representing their country in Olympics.

MOST CAPPED

Belgium men team is the most experienced side in the Olympics with six of their players having played more than three hundred games. John-John Dohmen is the most experienced men player on the circuit with 408 caps. Eddie Ockenden is the second most experienced player with 372 caps

In women’s circuit, only two players have crossed more than three hundred caps. Noel Barrionuevo who is captain of Argentina has played 337 games while Shirley McCay of Ireland has been capped 311 times.

AVERAGE AGE

In men’s competition, Argentina has the highest average age at 30.67 while India has the lowest average age at 26.

In women’s competition, Great Britain have the highest average age of 27.94 while Germany has the lowest average age at 24.72.

DEBUTANTS

There are four women players who will be making their senior team debut in Olympics. Three from South Africa- Lerato Mahole, Edith Molikoe, Charne Maddocks while Kaho Tanaka of Japan will also be making her senior team debut

What are the other interesting statistics you know? Share them in the comments box

Statistics Sourced From- TMS FIH

Tokyo 2020 Olympics: New Zealand vs India Preview, Teams, Where to Watch

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 22:24:00 +0000

A year late, hundreds of restrictions and no crowd. This is not how India would have wanted to start

Mandeep to lead Indian forward line

their Olympics campaign. However, with the world still struggling to control Covid-19, the team is thankful that they can break their 41 years wait of an Olympic medal.

It’s has been two years since India last faced New Zealand. Coincidentally, last time both these teams faced each other was in Tokyo for Ready Steady Tokyo invitational tournament. India, with World ranking of five drubbed New Zealand 5-0 in the finals to win the tournament.

Though India has a good record in the recent times against New Zealand, the games in international tournaments have been close encounters. In 2018, Commonwealth Games, while entire hockey community was expecting India to beat New Zealand, the Black Sticks stunned India 3-2 and reached the finals.

In Olympics too, there is not a lot of gaps in the team’s head-to-head records. In the seven games played, India has won four to New Zealand’s three. However, in the last two Olympics events, 2004 and 2012, it is New Zealand who has come out on the top. In terms of goals scored, India has scored thirteen goals to New Zealand's eleven.

Coach Speak

New Zealand coach Darren Smith on Monday said, “It’s a strong pool but we’ve definitely been focused on that opening match against India as one we’d like to get three points from.” Coach Smith understands the importance of good start and said it is important to gain three points in the first game to build the confidence and wake it easy to reach the quarter finals.

Meanwhile, Indian coach Graham Reid is counting on team’s resilience before the opening game. He said.” I am very pleased and happy how this group has handled things in last 15-16 months.” When players were stuck with Covid-19, the team handled and bonded well in those times.

Read More: What do fans expect from Indian hockey team in Olympics

Key Players

There will be keen eye on Indian captain Manpreet Singh in the first game. Manpreet who has been named as the flag bearer of Indian contingent will be part of opening ceremony which is expected to stretch till midnight. With the early morning game at 9:00 am (JST), it will be interesting to see how he is able to cope with the fatigue. Mandeep Singh, who would be leading the forward line as the most experienced player will also have to be on top of his game to help India achieve victory.

Experienced campaigners like Hugo Inglis and Shea McAleese will dictate a lot on the field for New Zealand. McAleese who would be playing in his fourth Olympics will have to call on his experience to stop Indian forward line from scoring. He will also be supported by captain Blair Tarrant. Penalty corner expert Kane Russell who has scored 69 goals from 167 matches would be put to test against strong Indian defense. Jared Panchia would also be expecting to use his experience to cause problem for Indian team.

Where to Watch

Fans in India would be able to watch the game against New Zealand on Sony Sports Network. Doordarshan is also expected to broadcast events featuring Indian athletes.

Olympics hosting rights in New Zealand are with Sky Network with TVNZ is also expected to broadcast the events.

Prediction

With Covid-19 cancelling a lot of Pro League action, it is exceedingly difficult to gauge how prepared are the teams. Still, we’d expect a win for India, albeit a close one.

Teams

New Zealand: Mcaleese Shea, Jenness Stephen, Inglis Hugo, Edwards Steve, Tarrant Blair (C), Wilson Nick, Russell Kane, Muir George, Anchia Jared, Ross Nick, Woods Nic, Smith Jake, Lett Dane, Lane Sam, Brydon David, Thomas Dylan, Hayward Leon (GK), Findlay Sean

India: Singh Manpreet (C), Parattu Raveendran Sreejesh (GK), Singh Rupinder Pal, Lakra Birendra, Singh Mandeep, Kumar Surender, Singh Harmanpreet, Upadhyay Lalit, Rohidas Amit, Kumar Varun, Sumit, Prasad Vivek, Sharma Nilakanta, Singh Gurjant, Singh Simranjeet, Singh Dilpreet, Singh Hardik, Singh Shamsher.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics: What do Indians fans expect from their hockey teams?

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 11:41:00 +0000

Indian hockey fans supporting the team in
Olympics qualifiers

Hope is the last thing ever lost says an Italian proverb. This proverb holds true for every Indian hockey fan. Indian hockey fans have been hoping for last 40 years. Hoping that the jinx of not reaching the podium will be broken. Hoping that Indian hockey team will once again get hero’s return and hoping that Indian flag will fly high once again in the Olympics.

Sports has been a great distraction, especially in this pandemic. Sports helps people get their mind away from their problems and be happy. Hockey is no different. It binds people together. When Indian team wins, every hockey fan jumps with joy and the nation becomes one. In times of defeat, the entire fan group comes together and griefs as one.

With Tokyo Olympics just few days away, we spoke to some Indian hockey fans and asked what they expected from the team.

Anubhav- Bengaluru

Men’s team- I am expecting the team to at least the semi-finals by doing well in the group stage and quarterfinals. It might be difficult for India to win the gold medal but winning the bronze medal is quite achievable. Team has played well over last couple of years and despite the games affecting by Covid, I believe the team will do well.

Women’s team- Women's team are placed in a strong group with the likes of Netherlands, Great Britain, and Germany. Though expecting medal from the women’s team is a tall order, I would be happy if team is able to qualify for the quarter finals. For a team that is just playing in their third Olympics, this would be a great progress.

Amritansh Ahuja- Manager at Supply Chain Transformation, Mumbai

Men’s team- A medal finish. Indian team needs to focus on two things- doing well in the striking circle and banishing the last-minute demons. If the team can do that, nothing can stop India from winning the medal. The team has some exciting young players, and they can really do something special. Fingers crossed.

Women’s team- Not expecting anything apart from playing bold and aggressive. Team is currently ranked 10th in the world and only way for the Indian team is up. The group is going to be tough, but India can squeeze into next round.

Sumith Sharma- Entrepreneur, Bahrain

Men’s team- Being an optimistic fan, I will always have grand expectations from Indian team. In 2018 World Cup, India was the only side that Belgium did not beat. It is one of the fittest sides in the world today. My realistic expectation from them is a podium finish. Like 2018WC, here to I would say... They must play their QF like the final. Because they are going to be unstoppable if they are in semi-finals. So, I would say that I would be disappointed if I do not see them on the Podium. It is a realistic expectation as Indian team has beaten all Olympics qualified side in last two years.

Women’s team- Whatever this team has achieved, I give credit to the team’s self-belief and work ethic. But, most of all, Sjoerd Marine and his support staff. Having been with the team for a while, he looks like a coach that is in full control and loves coaching this team. The team is a good mix of young and experienced players, and if penalty corners are executed well, they are lethal. Again, credit to their fitness and for getting them there I would give full credit to Wayne (Lombard). Realistically, I would be happy with a top 6 finish. But, hey girls, please surprise me and create history.

Bharat Malik- Masters Hockey, Kolkata

Men’s team- The team should finish on the podium. The team needs to play to their potential and be consistent with the play. The team has done well recently, especially the Pro League games against Argentina has shown what the team is capable of. Avoid last minute jitters, covert penalty corners and the team will surely find themselves on the podium.

Women’s team- It is going to be very tough for the women’s team, but I do expect the team to give good account of themselves in the tournament. Qualifying for the back-to-back Olympics with new European teams coming in was going to be difficult but the team beat USA and did it. It would be great to watch the team in the quarterfinals though.

Sunil Dhiman- Country Head at MNC, Bengaluru

Men’s team- The current team looks better prepared when compared to earlier editions. We need to be careful when it comes to conceding last minute goals, but the current team is well equipped to handle that. With this team, it looks like we will surely make it to the podium after 40 long years.

Women’s team- It was great to see women’s team qualify for the Olympics. Really happy with the work done by players and the coaching staff. But it is not going to be a comfortable ride in the Olympics. It would make me incredibly happy if the team is able to reach the quarterfinals. I am sure that the team can beat South Africa but will have to play well to beat Ireland. If they can get a draw against Great Britain or Germany, I think team will reach the quarterfinals.

What do you expect from the Indian teams in the Olympics? Let us know below in the comments section.

(Image Source: Google Images)

Indian Hockey at Olympics: Three most heartbreaking moments of this century

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Sun, 04 Jul 2021 15:40:00 +0000

Indian men hockey team boasts a great Olympics record with eight gold, one silver and two bronze

Dhanraj Pillay cried after Poland game
in Sydney Olympics

medals since 1928 with the team winning six straight gold medals since 1928. However, post 1968 Olympics, the team went on a decline and leaving apart 1980 Games where the team won gold, the India’s performance in the Olympics has been ordinary. From a bronze in 1972, the team dropped to seventh place in 1976 Montreal Olympics and since 1984, the team has not qualified for the semi-finals.

With the change in century, Indian hockey fans hoped that the team’s fortune too would change, and Indian hockey team would return to the top and reclaim their former glory. Yet, the fortune did not change, and Indian team has continued to struggle in the Olympics.

Now that Indian hockey team is about to begin their Tokyo Olympics journey, let us look at three most heartbreaking moments for Indian hockey team since 2000s.

Last place finish in London 2012

Indian team had a brilliant qualification tournament for London Olympics with likes of Sandeep Singh and Shivendra Singh scoring loads of goals in the tournament. With such a great qualification campaign, the fans were excited to watch Indian team come out all guns blazing in the tournament. The players too were upbeat. The team members that spoke to media promised medals. Michael Nobbs, the then coach of India had told fans, that Indian team would be playing great 70 mins of hockey but stopped short of saying that India will win medals. Sadly, that was not the case.

The team lost all their games and finished in the last position. Devoid of any strategy, the team scored just 6 goals in the entire tournament and there was lot of talk about infighting among the players with coach losing the dressing room. While fans were not expecting a medal for the team, they were also not ready for such poor performances on the field.

The last place finish had ripple effects on the team. Many senior players were axed and not selected for any future tournaments again. Coach too did not last long and was soon fired. Roelant Oltmans was brought in as a High-Performance Director of the team and Hockey India came up with an unofficial policy of not selecting players over the age of thirty. A tournament that was going to be return of Indian team ended with a dud and sadden many Indian hockey fans.

Read More from Give Me Hockey: Indian men's team guide for Tokyo Olympics

Missing Olympics Qualification in 2008

A lot of excitement for Indian team’s return in 2012 London Olympics had arisen due to missed qualification in 2008. After regularly being part of Olympics for eighty years, India missed the Olympics qualification for Beijing 2008 Olympics after losing to Great Britain in the finals of the qualification tournament.

Right from the start, India was not prepared for the tournament. While the team did not plan for any practice matches and spent time in training, the coaches too were not keen on finding more about the opposition. The team selection for the qualification too was poor. Top scorer of 2008 edition of Premier Hockey League, Sandeep Singh was not selected for the tournament. Nor was Arjun Halappa, who was PHL’s player of the tournament. Star strikers, Gagan Ajit Singh and Deepak Thakur were also not part of the team that played in the qualification tournament. Ric Charlesworth, who was named as Technical Director of Indian Hockey Federation was waiting for his ticket but as per then reports coach Carvalho did not want him helping the team.

The repercussion of this was huge. Hockey fans were out on the streets demanding action against Indian Hockey Federation. The coach Joaquim Carvalho resigned and after a sting operation by a leading news channel, IHF too was dissolved. An ad-hoc committee led by former players and IOA was incorporated to oversee the game. Missing qualification for 2008 Olympics is a dark chapter in the history of Indian hockey and truly a moment that broke our hearts.

Read more from Give Me Hockey: Play Indian hockey @ Olympics quiz

The Polish misery at Sydney Games

For any Indian hockey fan who got hooked to the games in 1990s would never forget India vs Poland match in 2000 Sydney Olympics. Placed in easy group, India had Australia, South Korea, Argentina, Poland, and Spain and needed a second-place finish to qualify for the semi-finals.

India started well in the tournament, beating Argentina in the opening game, and playing a 2-2 draw against Australia. In the last game of the group stage, India, who were in the third place in group standings, needed to beat Poland in order to advance to the semi-finals. However, the fate had something else in store for the Indian team. India who was leading the game 1-0 with a goal from Dilip Tirkey in 53rd minute of the play were just two minutes away from the win when the tragedy struck. Tomasz Cichy scored the goal that sent Indian fans to meltdown and broke the dream of millions of fans. The team too was in shock.

After the game ended, players and the coach were desolate. While Indian striker Dhanraj Pillay went to his and cried, goalkeeper Jude Menezes still remembers the sound of ball hitting the board. Indian hockey fans grieved that day after losing the game and even today the game continues to hurt us.

Do you think of any other Olympics moment that broke your heart? Let us know in the comments section below.

(With inputs from this Indian Express article on how players behaved after Poland draw)

Indian Hockey at Olympics

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 17:59:00 +0000

With just few days remaining for the Olympics, Indian teams are leaving no stone unturned and working hard to win the medals.

While the teams are working hard, you can test your knowledge of Indian hockey teams @ Olympics with our new quiz.

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Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Indian women team guide, fixtures, and key players

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 22:25:00 +0000

Rani Rampal to captain the side

The decade of 2020s has been good for Indian women hockey team. From a team that used to just makeup the numbers in the tournaments, Indian team has improved a great deal to give competition to top hockey nations of the world. Lot of coaches have given their blood, sweat and tears to Indian team but Sjoerd Marijne’s contribution has been remarkable.

Sjoerd Marijne has had two stints with Indian women’s team. The first stint was uneventful, but the second stint brought out the character of both players and coach that helped the team qualify for back-to-back Olympics for the first time in the history. With Tokyo Olympics being his last assignment with the Indian team, Sjoerd would surely want to bow out with all guns blazing.

It's quite a mixed bag when it comes to the team selected for the Olympics. On one side there are players with vast experience like Rani Rampal, Savitha Punia and Sushila Chanu and they would equally be supported by players who would be playing in their first Olympics. There are eight players who would be making their Olympics debut and young and exciting talents like Lalremsiami, Neha Goyal and drag flick expert Gurjit Kaur will play a key role in India's performance in the tournament.

Rani Rampal, the most experienced Indian player in the side was named as captain while Savita Punia and Deep Grace Ekka were named vice captains for the tournament. Coach Sjoerd Marijne happy with Indian team’s selection gave a bite to Hindustan Times where he said, ‘There’s a good mix of experienced players and new talent, which is excellent. We look forward to taking on the best in the world in Tokyo.’

One would surely feel bad about Rajani Etimarpu but with just sixteen players allowed for the Olympics, there was no way she could have displaced Savita from the number one spot.

READ MORE FROM GIVE ME HOCKEY: Sjoerd Marijne will step down after Olympics after having the last laugh

The defense will be led by experienced stalwart Deep Grace Ekka and she would be supported with likes of Gurjit Kaur and Nikki Pradhan. Gurjit's expertise with penalty corner expert will also help the team in scoring goals. Sushila Chanu, who captained Indian team in the last Olympics will oversee the midfield with support of seasoned players like Monika and Navjot Kaur.

Forward line is where India's strength lies. While Rani Rampal has proved herself repeatedly, players like Lalremsiami, Vandana Katariya and Sharmila Devi too have delivered for the team when it was required. Lamremsiami had a great 2018 and 2019 and was awarded FIH Rising star for 2019. The forward line will have to be on top of their game to fulfill coach Marijne's quarter final goal.

Road To Tokyo

India’s road to Tokyo has been a thrill ride. Beating the odds, Indian team reached the finals of Asian Games where they fell just short of winning the gold medal after losing finals against Japan. Indian team then got second chance of qualification where they faced USA in the two-legged Olympics Qualification Event. India started off brilliantly in the first game winning 5-1 but USA came back strongly in the second game. USA was leading 4-0 before Rani Rampal came good for India once again and scored a goal that helped India reach Olympics 6-5 on aggregate.

Key Players

Without a doubt Rani Rampal. She has carried the team on her shoulders for last 5-6 years and same will be expected of her in the Olympics. Vandana Katariya, another experienced player in the forward line will have to chip in with some goals if India must qualify for the quarter finals. Focus will also be on Gurjit Kaur for her drag flicks. Penalty corners conversions are vital for every team's performance, and she needs to score some goals to help team qualify for quarter finals. Sushila Chanu and Deep Grace Ekka in midfield and defense respectively will play a vital role in keeping the opposition from scoring.

What do you remember about the last Olympics? Check out our Rio Olympics quiz

Olympics Record

This is going to the third Olympics participation for India. India’s first participation came in 1980, in an Olympics that was boycotted by teams from the West. India also qualified for the last Olympics but finished in the last place. The last place finish was on expected lines as the team was just shaping up.

Fixtures

India is placed in tough group- Group A with the likes of Netherlands, Germany, and Great Britain. India will start their campaign against Netherlands on 24th July. The team will have to get the result against one of these top teams to secure their qualification for quarter finals. Complete fixtures for Indian team are:

Date	Opponent	Time
24-Jul-21	Netherlands	17:15
26-Jul-21	Germany	17:45
28-Jul-21	Great Britain	6:30
30-Jul-21	Ireland	8:15
31-Jul-21	South Africa	8:45

Team

GOALKEEPERS: Savita Punia

DEFENDERS: Deep Grace Ekka, Nikki Pradhan, Gurjit Kaur, Udita

MIDFIELDERS: Nisha, Neha, Sushila Chanu, Monika, Navjot Kaur, Salima Tete

FORWARDS: Rani Rampal, Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Vandana Katariya, Sharmila Devi

Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Indian men team guide, fixtures, and key players

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Sun, 27 Jun 2021 14:14:00 +0000

Manpreet to captain Indian side

It will be the first time probably when coach Graham Reid will understand the pressure of being a coach of Indian hockey team. Graham who has stayed under the radar due to lack of games and high-profile tournaments will have his first big test in upcoming Tokyo Olympics. The team selection that has seen experienced players left out of the squad has put a lot of attention on the coach.

Graham Reid though is unfazed about the attention and upbeat about India’s chances. In his recent interview with Telegraph online, he mentioned that the Indian team has beaten all the teams taking part in the Olympics (except Canada) in last two years and if the team continues to play well, they will easily achieve their first goal of reaching the quarter finals.

The team selected for Tokyo Olympics does not include the experienced trio Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh and SV Sunil, the three players who were usually the first names in Indian attack line. Coach Reid, on team selections said that the players have been selected based on flexibility, humidity, and heat. The forward line consists of experienced players like Mandeep Singh and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay and these two will be supported by younger players like Shamsher Singh, Dilpreet Singh and Gurjant Singh.

Opponent	Date	Time
New Zealand	24-Jul-21	6:30 am
Australia	25-Jul-21	3:00 pm
Spain	27-Jul-21	6:30 am
Argentina	29-Jul-21	6:00 am
Japan	30-Jul-21	3:30 pm

The unexpected changes in the forward line have changed the balance of the squad and has put some pressure on midfield. India as expected have gone for a good but inexperienced midfield. Manpreet Singh, captain of the side will be expected to do a double shift in midfield and forward line and players like Hardik, Sumit, Nilakantha and Vivek Sagar would be expected to reduce the burden on Manpreet.

Defense looks like a strong point for Indian team with Harmanpreet, Rupinder Surender, Birendra Lakra and Amit Rohidas. Harmanpreet, Rupinder and Amit will handle the penalty corner duties for the team. Birendra’s inclusion in the squad could be considered a surprise as he has not cemented his place in the squad since his return from knee injury that saw him missing 2016 Rio Olympics.

Only Indian player over the age of 30 is Sreejesh, who may will be playing his last major tournament in Indian colors and would want to go out on a high. Manpreet Singh will captain the side with Birendra Lakra and Harmanpreet Singh named as vice-captain.

Road to Tokyo

Entering the Asian Games as favorites, Indian team started very strongly on their Road to Tokyo but shoot out loss against Malaysia in the semi-finals of Asian Games forced the team to play in FIH Qualification Event to qualify for the Olympics. India’s high FIH ranking ensured a weaker opposition and India faced minnows Russia in two-legged qualification match. Despite conceding two goals in the first game, India beat Russia quite comfortably in both the legs scoring 11 goals in the process.

Key Players

As mentioned above, Manpreet will have an added responsibility of supporting the forward line so his performance will be key for India in the tournament. Harmanpreet, who has improved a lot in defense and penalty corners in last two years will be another key player and will be expected to pounce on every goal scoring opportunity through penalty corners. Mandeep Singh, now the senior most striker in the squad will also have to create and score goals for the team.

Olympics Record

Indian team has won most medals in Olympics hockey event with eight golds, two silvers and one bronze but last medal for Indian team came back in 1980 Moscow Games when the tournament was boycotted by majority of teams. In Rio 2016, India finished at 8th place while in London 2012 Olympics, India finished in the last position. Last time India reached the semi-finals was in 1980 Moscow Games.

Fixtures

Indian team is placed in Group A and will face their first game against New Zealand on 25th July. The complete group stage fixtures for India are:

Opponent Date Time

New Zealand 24-Jul-21 6:30 am

Australia 25-Jul-21 3:00 pm

Spain 27-Jul-21 6:30 am

Argentina 29-Jul-21 6:00 am

Japan 30-Jul-21 3:30 pm

Team

Goalkeepers

P. R. SREEJESH

Defenders

HARMANPREET SINGH (VC), RUPINDER PAL SINGH, SURENDER KUMAR, AMIT ROHIDAS, BIRENDRA LAKRA (VC)

Midfielders

HARDIK SINGH, MANPREET SINGH (C), VIVEK SAGAR PRASAD, NILAKANTA SHARMA, SUMIT

Forwards

SHAMSHER SINGH, DILPREET SINGH, GURJANT SINGH, LALIT KUMAR UPADHYAY, MANDEEP SINGH

Tokyo Olympics: Lack of experienced forward line may harm Indian team in Olympics.

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Sun, 27 Jun 2021 07:56:00 +0000

Indian team announcement for any big tournament is always an eventful affair. This time was no different when Hockey India announced Indian men team for Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Akashdeep and Ramandeep left out
of Olympics squad

In a move that shocked Indian hockey fans, coach Graham Reid and selection committee decided to leave out the experienced trio of Akashdeep Singh, SV Sunil and Ramandeep Singh for Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

This decision to leave experienced players surprised many people in Indian hockey community as it weakens the forward line.

India’s record in last two Olympics hasn’t been something to remember and the team has really struggled in front of the goal. While Indian team scored 10 goals in 6 games in Rio Olympics, the team could only manage 8 goals in 6 games at London games.

There is no doubt that young players selected in the place of experienced players have elevated level of motivation and willingness to prove themselves, but Olympics is not a tournament to experiment. The amount of pressure that on the players is enormous and it could end up overwhelming the young players on the biggest stage of all.

READ MORE: Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Indian men team guide, fixtures, and key players

In a tournament like Olympics, experience counts, a lot. The players left out by Indian team management have proved themselves many times on the field. Akashdeep Singh, SV Sunil and Ramandeep Singh have earned more than 400 joint caps among themselves and are being replaced by players who have not even earned 100 caps. Including these young players, Indian team has surely sacrificed experience that could backfire when the tournament starts.

Going back again to earlier two Olympics, the mediocre performance in 2012 Olympics was due to lack of strategy but in 2016, the situation was similar as of today. In 2016 Rio Olympics, Indian team went with just 4 forwards and was forced to play Sardar Singh in the forward line to compensate for having lesser number and inexperienced forward line.

Having inexperienced forward line will also put added pressure on rest of the team when it comes to goal scoring. Now playing the role of senior players, apart from shouldering goal scoring responsibility, they will also have to guide younger players on the field. In past few years, Mandeep had Akashdeep and SV Sunil to support him in the striking circle while Lalit was very well supported by Ramandeep Singh in the playmaking role. Absence of senior stars would also add responsibility on the midfield led by Manpreet Singh.

Captain Manpreet Singh is also leading a midfield that is less experienced compared to earlier Olympics. Sumit, Nilakantha, Vivek and Hardik are talented players for sure, but the Indian midfield relies a lot on Manpreet Singh to bail the team out in demanding situations.

The recent Pro League game against Argentina proves the above point. Trailing 2-1, and the team unable to break the deadlock, Manpreet picked the ball, beat five players, and earned a penalty corner that helped India to draw the game. Though it is business as usual for Manpreet in his extensive career for India, but with inexperienced forward line, the pressure on Manpreet is just going to increase.

It is quite well known in sports circles and at every workspace that experience plays a significant role every team’s performance. And for an important tournament like Olympics, teams need proven goal scorers and players who can keep their cool in crunch situation and get the results.

Indian hockey fans have waited for over 40 years to win a medal in Olympics. With the current team selections, the wait might just go on bit longer.

Rio Olympics Quiz

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 20:46:00 +0000

With just few days to go for Tokyo Olympics, take a trip down the memory lane and see how much you remember about the last Olympics games played in Rio.

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Blame for Pakistan hockey’s current condition lies solely with PHF

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 14:33:00 +0000

Hockey situation in India and Pakistan was not hugely different 15-20 years ago. Both countries, relied heavily on individual skills of players, fitness levels were questionable and strategy to win the games was completely missing. The Asian style of hockey of individual skillful hockey was lagging far behind the European style that relied on fitness and team cohesion.

Pakistan drops to 18th place
in FIH ranking

India got the shock in 2008 after missing Beijing Olympics and mended their ways but Pakistan is yet to do a correction course even after missing back-to-back Olympics (Rio and Tokyo). With latest FIH rankings pushing Pakistan to 18th place behind the likes of Wales and Korea, it is quite a fall for a team that has won four World Cups and three Olympics gold medals.

Times have changed, so has hockey in last 15-20 years. The methods that worked in late 1970s and 80s does not work anymore. No doubt the game of hockey still relies on the skills of the players, but fitness levels, team strategy and exposure to different opponents also play a significant role in a team's success.

The blame of team’s struggle on the field solely lies with the Pakistan Hockey Federation who have not even covered the basics to give Pakistan hockey a fighting chance. The current struggle of Pakistan team can be divided into three main categories:

Archaic coaching methods- Pakistan hockey’s biggest challenge right now is the coaching method and coaching team adopted by the PHF. With no foreign coach ready to commit, Pakistan Hockey Federation have employed the services of domestic coaches who currently cannot compete against top hockey nations. The coaching style is old fashioned, suited for early 1990s, fitness standards are virtually nonexistent and the scientific approach that the rest of the teams use to develop the game is not even among the cards. Lack of exposure to international tournaments has also not helped Pakistan hockey’s cause, and the performance in those tournaments too have been nothing short of poor. While the players play with complete passion and give their all but most of the time it falls to individual brilliance of players to bail the team out. Pakistan great Tahir Zaman has been working a lot for FIH and AHF, conducting courses for coaches and helping them prepare but PHF due to their lackadaisical approach have not even been able to approach him for coaching.

Shortage of funds- Hockey is an expensive sport, it takes lot of money needs to be invested in the game- to conduct coaching camps, hire decent coaching staff, provide proper nutrition to players, and hold foreign tours to give proper exposure to the players. However, with lack of funds Pakistan Hockey Federation have not been able to provide the best available structure to the players. In the last few years, PHF have repeatedly asked the federal government for the funds but due to weak economic condition, the government too have not been able to help them. While the government might not be the one to help, what has PHF done on their end to secure necessary funding? Pakistan hockey had gone through similar issue in 2018 when Haier Pakistan had to step up and sponsor PHF for the World Cup when the government failed to help them. Why hasn’t PHF worked to find sponsorship on their own? South Africa crowdfunded their Olympics expedition, what steps have PHF taken to raise money on their own and not rely on handouts?

Administration- The usual sports saying- skillful players cannot always be great administrators can also be extended to administrators especially in countries like India and Pakistan. We have heard lot of voices from fans in India and Pakistan saying that former players should be made administrators and should be allowed to run the sport. This however is a wrong notion. It is exceedingly rare that former players become good administrators and it is difficult in countries like India and Pakistan. Reason? Lack of proper education. Running a business is a challenging task and requires a business acumen and it is similar with running a federation that needs to cater to the needs to hundreds of people involved. The young players in India and Pakistan are made to focus more on the game rather than education hence it becomes difficult for them to carry out the tasks involved in running the federation. What Pakistan hockey needs is a proper administration led by a person involved in a business, who can run the game as a businessperson and raise funds for the team.

Just before the pandemic, we saw Pakistan team displaying one of the most beautiful performances when they faced Netherlands for Olympics qualification. Though Pakistan ended up on the losing side, the way they played the game caught the attention of world hockey community. It is possible for Pakistan to make a comeback in the international arena, but it would require wholesome changes that PHF should be ready for. Unless the current lot of PHF are ready to leave the reign, Pakistan hockey will continue to struggle.

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Sjoerd Marijne will step down after Olympics after having the last laugh

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 21:34:00 +0000

Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Derek Jeter had once said, ‘I love it when people doubt me. It makes me work harder to prove them wrong.’

Coach Marijne has proved his doubters wrong

This was mindset of with which Coach Sjoerd Marijne went back to become the coach of Indian women hockey team after his less than satisfactory spell as Indian men’s team chief coach.

Former Netherlands International hockey coach Sjoerd Marijne was hired as coach of Indian women hockey after Rio Olympics.

Coaching Indian hockey teams has always been a challenging affair. Adding intense media scrutiny behind each decision on and off the pitch does put a lot of pressure on coaches and the coaching staff.

Joined the Indian women hockey team as chief coach in 2017, Sjoerd Marijne had lot on his plate to work on. Last place finish in the Rio Olympics was something that Indian team management wanted to avoid. The challenge was enormous- players not as technically gifted compared to other nations, poor fitness levels, overreliance on a single player in the team, lack of international matches and added media scrutiny was some of the things Marijne had to face.

While he was just finding his foot with the women team, Marijne was moved on to coach Indian men team after Roelant Oltmans was sacked due to mediocre performance. The women’s team performance had not been great under his coaching and media was just waiting with their guns pointed. A single mishap and they would have emptied their clips.

Marijne and Indian men team were not a great combination. The approach set by Marijne was something that Indian men team did not understand. The timing was wrong too... 2018 was to be a huge year for the men team. Olympics qualification was on the line via Asian Games, and flat performance in the CWG did not help his cause. The media turned against him and so did the players. Harendra Singh’s exploits with the women team in CWG was getting rave reviews and finally after 7 months Sjoerd Marijne was once again made a coach of Indian women team.

A usually vocal coach who was happy to explain his methods to Indian media had suddenly went quiet. An average Joe thought it is the lack of confidence but, something else was going on in Marijne’s mind. His sole agenda from then on was to prove his doubters wrong and helping India qualify for Olympics.

Without getting bitter or making a fuss, he went to his role of coaching Indian women team again. There were some rumors of Indian women players to being unhappy with him, but it did not faze him a bit. He went back to the drawing board and started devising a strategy for the Indian women team, a strategy that would help Indian team achieve its potential and thus qualify for Tokyo Olympics.

His plan was simple but effective. Playing as a single unit, reducing reliance on Rani Rampal, and improving the fitness of players was something that he had in his find. The 2018 World Cup where Indian team reached the quarter finals saw a glimpse of that.

The team was a strong defensive unit, holding Great Britain and USA to 1-1 draw, and counter attacking hockey that saw India beat Italy 3-0 to reach the quarterfinals.

He built on those strengths in the coming Asian Games where we saw defensive masterclass from the Indian team. The team conceded just 3 goals in the entire tournament and the defensive shape of the Indian team allowed forward line to work their magic.

The team’s silver medal finish in the Asian Games was expected by very few people and it changed the way Indian hockey fans rated Coach Marijne.

2019 saw India’s performance once again touching new heights where they beat Japan to win FIH World Series Finals with another great defensive performance. The New Zealand tour in 2020 also saw Indian team notching up wins against Great Britain and hosts New Zealand that proved to the world that Indian women hockey team too belong among the top nations in the world.

After the end of Tokyo Olympics, coach Marijne has decided to draw the curtains on his Indian hockey journey. A journey where he became a fan favorite from a pariah after his misadventure with Indian men hockey team. Whatever the result of Tokyo Olympics be, Coach Marijne, who proved his doubters wrong after helping Indian women team scale new heights, will have the last laugh.

(Coach Sjoerd Marijne has decided leave Indian hockey team at the end of Tokyo Olympics)

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47th FIH Congress: The Aftermath

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Thu, 27 May 2021 00:46:00 +0000

Dr. Narinder Batra retains FIH presidency

47th FIH Congress ended couple of days ago with a result that surprised lot of people in the hockey community. Dr Narinder Batra, the incumbent president of FIH was once again elected with the narrowest of margin.

Though Dr. Batra has won the election, but the job has become tougher for him due to the margin of win along with the voices of the hockey community. Here are some things we feel that Dr. Batra needs to address in his second team and win confidence of international hockey community.

Finances: The biggest matter of concern for worldwide hockey community was the way finances were handled by during Dr. Batra's first tenure as FIH President. the audited accounts of 2019 have shown substantial losses. With Covid wreaking havoc on 2020 and 2021 season, hockey fans are not expecting much from FIH financial results this time around as well. Dr. Batra and his team will have to show how do turn the things around and show profits for FIH.

Hockey 5s: The second biggest worry for hockey fans is the way Hockey 5s are being prioritized by FIH. Many in the hockey fraternity see it as direct competition to both the traditional 11v11 and indoor hockey format. Dr. Batra's speech post winning the presidency has also left a sour taste in their mouth after Dr. spoke about his vision of having Hockey 5s in the Olympics. Announcement of World Cup, even when the format is in infancy has added fuel to the fire for the purists who do not want to move away from traditional 11v11 format. No doubt, Hockey 5s have its merits but its time, FIH comes clean and explains their vision of Hockey 5s compared to traditional formats.

Pro League: What was once pushed as next grandiose thing in hockey is turning out to be a sore eye in the eyes of fans and players. Cluttered fixtures, negative impact on domestic competitions is just couple of examples where the Pro League displeased fans. With both India and Pakistan missing out to inaugural edition of the tournament due to varied reasons also added to the has made Pro League the biggest money guzzler. Not to forget, the questions of exclusiveness that annoys the fans from countries outside Pro League. Currently, Pro League is a closed competition with top 9 countries. Teams like Ireland and France that had improved their game in last 3-4 years are not part of this tournament. It's time for Dr. Batra and his company to think if they wish to continue to Pro League of cut their losses.

India angle: When the hosts of 2023 Men World Cup was announced, many fans asked this question, ‘Why is the tournament being awarded to country again?’ India hosted 2018 World Cup and is also going to host 2023 World Cup. With 2023 World Cup, India would have hosted last three of four World Cups. This has also not sat down well with hockey fans. No doubt, the Government machinery does a wonderful job of hosting the World Cup and makes it easier for organizers and FIH to get what they want, it still beats the purpose. Hosting Hockey World Cups at the same location is counterproductive and would surely not help in pulling new fans. Now that decision has been made to host 2023 World Cup in India, its time, FIH finds a way to promote the game in other nations as well.

Commitment: A lot has been said about Dr. Batra’s corrupt practices on social media. While there has been no proof shared with the hockey community, it does raise question on functioning of FIH under his presidency. Apart from being FIH president, Dr. Batra also heads the Indian Olympic Association that has led to many people questioning his commitment to the FIH. With monetary loss, failing Pro League and pandemic unleashing commotion on international hockey, Dr. Batra would surely have to pull up his socks and avoid the trouble that is mounting for FIH.

Five Things That New Indian Coach Needs To Fix

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 04:22:00 +0000

Australian Graham Reid set to be new coach of Indian team

Speculations are rife that Australian Graham Reid will soon take over the reigns as coach of Indian men hockey team and Hockey India has already submitted his name to Sports Authority of India for final approval.

Reid, who coached Australia to numerous victories, including World League and World Cup will be India’s third coach in two years.

With Graham Reid set to take over as coach of Indian hockey team, there is no doubt he will have his work cut out as currently Indian team has lot of issues that needs to be fixed. Indian team in last couple of years has been inconsistent and only flashes of brilliance has been seen on the field. The team which was doing well under Walsh and Oltmans has often been found wanting when it comes to business end of the tournament. Here are five things that new Indian coach needs to fix:

Sreejesh’s replacement

When Devesh Chauhan left the international scene, Indian hockey team had good bench strength in Adrian D’Souza, PR Sreejesh and Bharat Chetri with anyone of them having equal ability to take over the reins and become best Indian goalkeeper but today with Sreejesh reaching twilight of his career (David John doesn’t like his players over 30) Indian team does not have any able replacement. During the time Sreejesh has been India’s first choice goalkeeper, India has tried the likes of Harjot Singh, Akash Chikte and Krishan Pathak in goal with mixed results. While Sreejesh can still do a good job under the bar, it is also time to think about who will take the mantle when he retires in near future.

Youth Only or Mix of Experience

Since 2012 London Olympics, India’s policy when it comes to players has been youth only and hoping that their fitness and youthful exuberance will help Indian team win World Cup or Olympics. Average age of players during 2014 World Cup was 23.5 and it was nearly same 4 years later in 2018 World Cup. It is quite clear that the youth only policy of Indian team is currently not working, and experience plays a huge role when it comes to team’s success. New coach right from the start should lay down the law about what he wants. Does he want to continue with young players or bring back experienced players that can balance the team. Graham Reid is fond of experienced players and he brought back Jamie Dwyer in the squad when he became coach after he was sidelined by Ric Charlesworth. It will be quite interesting to see that exactly does the new coach want- Youth or Mix of Experience

The Selfish approach

Yes, it’s a fact that Indian players are selfish, especially the forward line and this has been a major problem for Indian players for last few years that is clearly hampering team’s overall performance. The players are so keen to outdo each other that they don’t understand that this is harming the team. Against weaker sides, these players were able to score many goals (as we saw in Asian Games) but when it comes to good competitive sides, they are heavily exposed, and the team ends up paying for this. Against better teams, Indian forwards failed to score and even provide opportunity to penalty corner experts to have a shot at goal. New coach must figure out a way to get these players back to playing as a team and work towards team goals and glory instead of personal ones.

Good Scouting Network

There is no doubt that Indian hockey has a great crop of young players and new and exciting players keep on coming every year. While the national camp focuses on just 25-30 players (which include the senior players), many good players fall of the radar and are lost due to poor system. New coach will have to develop a scouting system to find new talents and make sure that these players are imparted necessary education that will help them to become good players for the future.

Develop Big Match Temperament

Once area where Indian team seriously lacks is the big game temperament. Whenever a crunch situation arises, Indian hockey team falls like a pack of cards. Be it conceding last minute goals or failing to deliver at a major point in a tournament. During recently concluded Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, it was twice against Korea that Indian team faltered. First during the group stage match where they conceded a last-minute goal and then during finals when the players were overwhelmed by the big stage and conceded a goal. And it’s not just Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, over the years we have seen that Indian team failing to deliver during crunch moments and that has cost the team dearly.

Indian team will soon be taking part in Hockey Series that and winning the tournament will open the door for Olympics qualification. With the tournament being just couple of months away, new coach will be under lot of pressure to deliver results to ever demanding Indian hockey fans.

Hockey World Cup Quiz

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Sun, 04 Nov 2018 23:19:00 +0000

With Hockey World Cup just few nights away, we bring you a quiz on the Hockey World Cup and its history.

So what are you waiting for? Take the quiz and don't forget to tell us your results by replying in the comments section below or tagging us on our Twitter/Facebook pages
Twitter : Give Me Hockey (@hockeyind)
Facebook: Give Me Hockey

Once you are through with the quiz, don't forget to share it with the hockey family.

The quiz has 10 questions and each question has just 1 correct answer.

If you have any questions/suggestions, don't forget to reach out to us on the the social media (links above) or write to us on givemehockey01@gmail.com

P.S- There is a cookies pop-up which comes up as you click on Begin, make sure you close the pop up before you start the quiz.

Road To Tokyo Olympics: How Can India Qualify For 2020 Olympics

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Sun, 02 Sep 2018 23:04:00 +0000

Road ahead for Indian hockey

After missing out direct qualification for Tokyo Olympics through Asian Games, both Indian men and women team have a long and tedious journey ahead of them to qualify. It is not just long journey that Indian teams must worry about, FIH rankings will also play a major role in Indian teams’ quest for Olympics qualification.

NOTE: This also works for teams who are not able to qualify through continental championships. This article answers questions related to India. If you have questions related to your favorite team, please let us know in comments section and we will get back to you.

Before we talk about Indian teams, let us look at how teams can qualify for Olympics.

Hockey in Tokyo Olympics will feature 12 teams. The 12 teams who will play in Olympics will be as:

1- HOME NATION (JAPAN)

5- CONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (one each)

-ASIAN GAMES (Winners: Japan)

- PAN AMERICAN GAMES

- EUROHOCKEY NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIPS

- AFRICAN QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT

- OCEANIA CUP

6- PRO LEAGUE and WORLD SERIES leading to OLYMPICS QUALIFYING EVENT (OQE)

As host nation Japan has also won Asian Games, another qualification spot is added to Olympics Qualification tournament.

Let us try and address the Olympics qualifications through series of questions:

Q- How can teams qualify for the Olympics without winning qualifying tournaments?

If the teams are not able to win their respective continental tournaments, they will have to go through Qualifying tournaments what will be played in late 2019. As mentioned before Japan has already qualified because of being the host nation of Olympics, their winning Asian Games adds another spot in qualifying tournaments. So now there will be 7 teams going to Olympics through qualification tournaments.

These 7 teams will be decided from the 14 teams that will enter the competition. Two teams will face each other 2 matches and team with highest aggregate of goals will qualify for the Olympics.

Q- How will those 14 teams be selected to participate in the qualification tournament.

14 teams selected for participation in Olympics Qualifying Event (OQE) will be take selected from:

- Top four teams from Pro Hockey League

- Top two teams from each of three Hockey Series Events (in total six teams)

- Top ranked teams as per FIH Rankings (total four teams) *

*Top ranked FIH teams who failed to qualify through Continental Tournaments/Pro League/Hockey Series will take 4 spots for OQE.

NOTE: If any of top 4 placed teams of Pro League also win their continental championship, their place will be taken by next best ranked team as per FIH rankings.

Q- How does Olympics Qualification Event works?

Once we have all 14 teams, they will be placed in the lineup basis their FIH rankings. Top ranked FIH team will be given 1^st place in the OQE and the lowest ranked FIH team will be given 14^th spot in the lineup. Then the teams placed in 1^st ,2^nd and 3^rd spot will face teams in 12^th ,13^th and 14^th spot randomly. Similarly, teams who are placed from 4^th to 7^th will face teams placed 8^th to 11^th spot randomly.

The teams will face each other over two legs and the team with higher aggregate will qualify for Olympics.

Q- So, how does it work for India?

First thing that Indian men must do is to make sure that its ranking does not go in to a freefall. Currently India is ranked 5^th as per FIH rankings behind Australia, Argentina, Belgium and Netherlands. Winning bronze in Asian Games has surely has increased the gap against 6^th place Germany by giving India 585 (final number will be calculated based on percentage) points but still India needs to do well in upcoming World Cup as even a 4^th place finish for Germany in EuroHockey Championship will give them 600 points and anything better than that will take Germany to 5^th place and India will go down to 6^th place. So, a better ranking for Indian team will help India place better in OQE.

Of the top 4 teams of FIH rankings, Australia and Argentina are expected to win their respective continental championships so that will leave Belgium and Netherlands in top 2 position in OQE basis their FIH rankings. 5^th place in FIH rankings will help India get in top 3 for OQE and will give India an easy opposition.

World Series will help India in getting to the OQE but then rankings is all that matters at the end of the day.

NOTE: Currently it is not mentioned that how many points will teams earn from World Series but doing well in World Series will also help India in gaining points and cementing position in FIH rankings

Q- What about Indian eves?

Unfortunately, the road is bit tougher for Indian women team when compared to men. They are currently placed in 9^th position in FIH rankings and Silver medal win in Asian Games will propel Indian team in the FIH rankings.

As mentioned above, it once again it depends on how other teams perform and what spot does Indian team get in OQE.

There is no doubt that Indian team is not a pushover anymore backed by impressive performance in the World Cup (drawing against England and USA) and the team does have the caliber to beat top teams, but the road will be tougher for Indian women team.

Q- When will we find out who will be India’s opponent OQE?

Somewhere in late 2019, when all continental championships are done, and we have teams from World Series.

Right now, Indian team can just wait and watch how things unfold for the rest of the world and meanwhile gather ranking points to be in the best possible position for OQE.

Have any more questions?

Let us know in the comments section below and we will get you your answers.

Dhyan Chand Quiz

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 01:40:00 +0000

On 113th birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand, we bring you a quiz on various aspects of his life. The quiz has 10 questions and each question has just 1 correct answers.

Once you have taken the quiz, do tell us your results either by replying in the comments section below or tagging us on our Twitter/Facebook pages
Twitter : Give Me Hockey (@hockeyind)
Facebook: Give Me Hockey

Don't forget to share the quiz with your friends/family and other sports community with the hashtag #DhyanChandQuiz

If you have any questions/suggestions, don't forget to reach out to us on the the social media (links above) or write to us on givemehockey01@gmail.com

P.S- There is a cookies pop-up which comes as you click on Begin, make sure you close the pop up before you start the quiz.

India 8-0 Indonesia: Talking points

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 06:33:00 +0000

Gurjit scored a hat-trick against Indonesia

Hat-trick by penalty corner expert Gurjit Kaur, two goals each by Vandana Kataria and Navneet Kaur helped India beat debutants Indonesia 8-0 in their first match of the Asian Games played at GBK Hockey Field in Jakarta.

20-year-old Udita scored the first goal of the match in 9^th minute of the play and Vandana doubled the lead with in the 14^th minute of play. The game livened up in the second quarter of the game as Indian team went on

complete offensive to score 6 goals with Gurjit Kaur scoring two goals while Navneet and Vandana scoring one each to help India reach 6-0 lead at half-time.

Indonesia on the other hand were looking helpless and clueless as the entire game was being played in their half could not even muster a shot on goal in the entire match. Third quarter turned out to be most frustrating for Indian eves as they could not score a single goal despite winning 6 penalty corners while the fourth quarter of the game saw penalty corner expert Gurjit completing her hat-trick. While the score line suggest complete domination from Indian team, but it did not tell the full story of Indian team’s performance against Indonesia. The score line is good for a news headline but there are lot many underlying problems that the coach Marijne needs to resolve before they face giants of Asia.

Right from dismal penalty corner conversion and execution, to not testing the bench and absent midfield, India has lot to improve.

Match Statistics

Here are our talking points from India-Indonesia games:

Penalty corners, a missed opportunity: Match against Indonesia can be best termed as a practice game, India won 21 penalty corners in the game and but only scored off 3 of those 21. While 12 of those were taken by Gurjit Kaur, and 8 were just direct hits on the goal. India’s penalty corner conversion was dismal in Hockey World Cup and it is the same in Asian Games. Indonesia was the easiest match India will play in the Asian Games, and it was a good opportunity for India to score some goals from penalty corners, try variations in penalty corners and build a goal scoring weapon for future matches but the way India executed their penalty corner, it surely missed an opportunity.

Rani’s attitude needs a reality check: It is no doubt that Rani Rampal has been India’s best player in last 6-7 years and no other player (bar Savita) has come near her performance on the field. But off late it seems that the success has gone in to her head and it was quite evident in the game against Indonesia. In the game against Indonesia, Rani Rampal was at her selfish best, taking shots that were not going to guarantee a goal to taking penalty corner hits instead of focusing on variations. Rani Rampal is the captain of Indian team and she is the one who needs to set an example for the likes of Lalremsiami, Udita and Navneet but her performance yesterday was of one player who just wants to play for herself.

Indonesia shows promise: It was the first time Indonesia played in the Asian Games and considering the fact that they are not even in top 50 ranked teams of the World (ranked 54), Indonesia did well against India. With India attacking persistently, Indonesia defense did enough to concede just 8 goals in the game. Their goalkeeper Sarah Amaniah won most of the battles when it came to penalty corners, but the team were overall let down by the inexperience in international hockey. Asian Games is a good opportunity to get some match experience and then build on from there.

India will next play Kazakhstan in their second match of Asian Games on 21^st August and if coach Marijne is able to address these problems before they face big guns of Asia, India truly will be a medal contender.

Asian Games 2018 Contenders: India

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Sat, 18 Aug 2018 23:29:00 +0000

Comeback man Rupinder Pal

After finishing second under the leadership of Harendra Singh in the recently concluded Champions Trophy, Indian hockey team will enter Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex as favorites to win Gold in Asian Games 2018 and thereby become the first team to qualify for Tokyo Olympics. India are the defending champions of the tournament and will be looking to win Gold medal for the 4^th time.

HISTORY

India along with Pakistan has made it to the Asian Games podium most number of times wins with 14 medals in 15 editions of the tournament, but India has only won the Gold medal 3 times. India has won 9 silver medals and 1 bronze (2010 Asian Games).

Interestingly all of India’s Gold medal wins have come post regulation time. In 1966 Asian Games, Balbir Singh scored a goal in extra time to grab 1-0 win against Pakistan. In 1998 Asian Games, India beat Korea in penalty strokes thanks to heroics from goalkeeper Ashish Ballal while in 2014 Asian Games India beat arch-rivals Pakistan via penalty shootouts.

CURRENT FORM

When compared to other participating teams in the Asian Games, Indian women team is in red hot form after their success in Champions Trophy. India finished second in the Asian Games, scoring 10 goals in the tournament but conceded only 6 goals (least when compared to all other participating teams). After the success of Champions Trophy, Indian team played a three match test match series that marked return of penalty corner specialist Rupinder Pal Singh.

India beat New Zealand in all three matches played scoring 11 goals and conceding just three goals. Rupinder Pal Singh who made his comeback after an injury scored 4 goals in three matches.

Indian team coach Harendra Singh and captain Sreejesh are both confident of India’s chances in the Asian Games. Before the tournament started, coach Harendra Singh said- We can’t think of anything less than a gold. It is not acceptable. But we have to prove ourselves on the pitch in each and every match,”

While captain Sreejesh said, that the team is favorites to win the Asian Games.

We spoke to journalist Mihir Vasavda (@mihirsv) of Indian express about India’s chances in the Asian Games and he had to say this

ON INDIA’S CHANCES IN THE ASIAN GAMES

It'd be very, very disappointing if both teams (men and women) return without gold. It'll be interesting to see how the men's team handle the pressure of going into a tournament of high stakes as favorites - in 2014 they weren't so far ahead of rest of Asia as they are today. So it'll take extraordinary level of choking for them to not win the gold medal, because quality wise, we all know India are far better than the other Asian teams.

ON KEY INDIAN PLAYERS

Key players in the men's team remain the same - Sreejesh, Manpreet, Sardar, Sunil, etc. But I am more interested in seeing how the rest perform - Amit, in my opinion, had an average CWG so he has a chance to make amends and so did Akashdeep. Harmanpreet Singh's penalty corner conversion rate, Mandeep's field goal conversion are the other factors I am keen to see ahead of the World Cup. Also, this will be crucial for Lalit to show if he can hang on to his place for the World Cup. Equally important is Krishan Pathak as back up to Sreejesh. So it'll be all these things, instead of just the three-four usual players.

ON WHICH TEAM WILL POSE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR INDIA

In the men's side, India pose a challenge to themselves more than other teams proving to be a hurdle for them. If they keep their calm and execute the plans without doubting themselves, like they did at CWG, I think they should be fine. Malaysia and South Korea are tricky teams, though.

ON FINAL PLACINGS IN ASIAN GAMES

GOLD: India
SILVER: South Korea
BRONZE: Pakistan

INDIAN TEAM FOR ASIAN GAMES

Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh (C), Krishan B Pathak

Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, Birendra Lakra, Surender Kumar, Rupinder Pal Singh, Amit Rohidas

Midfielders: Manpreet Singh, Chinglensana Singh (VC), Simranjeet Singh, Sardar Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad

Forwards: S V Sunil, Mandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Dilpreet Singh

The Day I Became A Hockey Fanatic

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 09:48:00 +0000

Players jumping on Ashish Ballal after penalty strokes

One warm sunny morning of 1996 was the first time I saw a hockey stick. My school had introduced a new team sport (the school already had a cricket and football team) and on enquiring about it with the class teacher, we found that our school had introduced coaching for India’s national game called ‘hockey’ and coaching for it was just Rs. 20 per month.

Since my birth to 1996, I had heard about two sports only, cricket and football. Excitedly, I told my parents about a ‘new’ game called hockey and how I wanted to enroll in it

After taking my parents permission (both are hockey fans, father even played state), I enrolled in coaching and started learning tricks and trade of the game.

Everyday started with 1 hour of hockey practice and evenings ended with playing hockey with my cousins on streets.

Two years later, everything changed.

Fast forwarding to 2 years afternoon of 19^th December 1998, I was doing what a kid of 9 years does- watching cartoon. My mother came to me and said in Punjabi, ‘Remote de, ASIAD de finals aa’ (Give me the TV remote, Asian Games finals are on). Confused, I asked her what is ASIAD? She replied by telling me about a sporting event in which Asian teams compete in different sporting events and hockey finals between India and Korea will be played in some time.

Surprised to know that even hockey is played on big levels (class teacher did not tell us kids, that India has won 8 Gold medals in Olympics), we switched to DD in anticipation of the finals between India and Korea.

I had never seen a hockey game in my life. Even in school we were never made to play the matches, we were only learning how to dribble, or pass, or run with the ball but never a full-fledged hockey game. Before the match started, my mother told me something- ‘batti saal ho gaye aa, India nu Gold jite hue. Finals bahot vaar khele aa but Gold nahi jite’ (It has been 32 years since India has won Gold in Asian Games, we have played finals many times, but we have not won a Gold medal). Even today, after nearly 20 years, I remember her telling me this- we have not won a Gold in Asian Games for 32 years.

The game started on a disastrous note as India conceded a goal in 6^th minute through a penalty corner scored with Yeo Woon-Kon. As the match progressed, there was one Indian player who caught my eye. A player will superior skills and long hair. The player’s name as my mother told me was Dhanraj Pillay.

Remember all the superlatives we heard about Dhyan Chand, how he had magical skills, great control over the ball, brilliant dribbling. I had found my Dhyan Chand in Dhanraj Pillay. He was captaining the side in the tournament and was displaying something special in the finals. Electric pace, ball control and dribbling everything was there. In the 22^nd minute of the play, Dhanraj Pillay scored off a penalty corner to level the game.

Both teams continued to create chances throughout the game but could not get a breakthrough. After 70 minutes of regulation time and 15 minutes of extra time, the game was still locked at 1-1.

‘Hun penalty strokes to winner decide karange’- said my mother. (Penalty strokes will decide the winner of Gold medal match).

Despite never watching a hockey match in my life, I could feel the tension, I was worried about India. Only thing in my mind before the start of penalty corners was 32 years.

As soon as the penalty strokes began, all eyes were on one player, Indian keeper Ashish Ballal. Ashish Ballal had already played for 85 minutes that day and despite the tiring matching (Korea was relentless with their attacks) his body language was of a cheetah.

While Ashish Ballal was raring to go, this young kid (me) was scared to my wits end with heart pounding like a drum. I remember listening to AIR commentary of 1996 cricket World Cup quarter finals between India and Pakistan and I remember the faces of worried people all around me. I did not feel anything during the cricket World Cup but this, Asian Games finals was something different

Korea went first and scored, India’s Ramandeep Singh also scored. (Sigh of relief)

When Ashish Ballal jumped on his right to save the second stroke, I jumped with joy. He could not mange to save the third one but the fourth one was hit right at his glove and made an easy save (YES!!)

Mukesh Kumar stepped up to take India’s 4^th stroke. He hit it low and hard on keeper’s left and the entire stadium erupted with joy. India had won a Gold medal after 32 years.

While I was expecting the euphoria of winning the trophy, only thing I could see was tears. Tears of joy were rolling from the eyes of every Indian player and officials. Dhanraj Pillay was inconsolable, there was no stopping his crying.

And that I believe what made my fall in love with hockey. The long wait of 32 years, the tears of joy from the players. The inconsolable Dhanraj Pillay.

I had finally found my sport, something that I could never forget.

The moment medals were being awarded to teary eyed hockey players. Emotions of this achievement over powering every other sense in their body.

Never since that day has Indian flag looked beautiful when it was hoisted. Never since that day the Indian national anthem has brought the same feeling of pride in me. And never since that day, I saw grown up men crying hysterically for hockey.

That match itself was nothing special, India has played many great matches in last 20 years, but no match has been on par with the emotional journey I went through that day.

I have often thought about his day with other great ones but no other win has matched the raw emotion that the 1998 Asian Games final gave me that day

And, that was the day hockey left an inedible mark on me. And, that day I became a hockey fanatic.

It has been nearly 20 years since and day and in next couple of days, Indian hockey team will soon begin their quest to win 2018 Asian Games and I hope the current men in blue take some inspiration from the guys who played in 1998 Asian Games

CHAK DE INDIAN HOCKEY!!

- A Die Hard Hockey Fan

Asian Games 2018 Quiz No 1

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 01:16:00 +0000

Welcome to the first Asian Games quiz. This quiz is mostly about the history of Asian Games. Don't forget to take a screen shot of your result and share with our Twitter handle Give Me Hockey

Have any questions? Write to us on givemehockey01@gmail.com

UPDATE: There is a cookies pop-up which comes as you click on Begin, make sure you close the pop up before you start the quiz.

Asian Games 2018 Contenders: Malaysia

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 04:15:00 +0000

Sukri Mutalib to lead Malaysia in Asian Games

There is phrase that goes in life and sports- ‘Never count out an underdog.’ Malaysian hockey team will be trying to prove this point and win that eluding Gold when they begin their Asian Games campaign against Kazakhstan on 20^th August.

Malaysia has always been among of the top performing teams in the Asian Games, winning bronze medal six times (Asian Games record) but has still not managed to win a Gold in the tournament. Malaysia’s best finish came in the 2010 Asian Games when they finished second

after losing to Pakistan in the finals. Apart from India and Pakistan, Malaysia is the only team to participate in all 15 editions of the tournament.

Malaysia has been placed in Group B of the tournament and will face challenge from Pakistan for the top spot in Group B. Other teams of Group B are Bangladesh, Oman, Thailand and Kazakhstan. With top 2 teams qualifying for the semi-finals, Malaysia will be aiming to top the group to avoid India in the semi-finals of the tournament.

Malaysian Hockey Confederation Technical Director Terry Walsh expects Malaysia to break new ground in the Asian Games and is sure that the team will reach the finals of the tournament.

HISTORY

Despite being among the top performers in the tournament, Malaysia’s luck has always run out when it comes to winning Gold medals in Asian Games. In the inaugural edition of the tournament, Malaysia finish at 4^th spot after losing to Korea in the bronze medal match. They bettered their performance in 1962 Asian Games by winning their first bronze medal. Next 20 years of Asian Games saw Malaysia and Japan battling it out for the third-place finish with Malaysia winning 3 bronze medals (1974,1978,1982) while Japan winning bronze 1966 and 1970 Asian Games. 2010 was the outing for Malaysia when they beat tournament favorites India in extra time to set up the finals clash with Pakistan. In 2014, Incheon Asian Games, Malaysia finish 4^th after losing to Korea 3-2.

PREPARATION

Malaysia’s preparations have not gone as per the plan after losing 4 of the 5 test matches played against the Australia A team. The team conceded 18 goals in the 5 matches played and scored only 7 against what was a second-string Australian squad.

Fitri Saari is going to be a key for Malaysian success

Coach Stephan Van was unhappy with the team’s defensive play and penalty corner conversion during the Australia tour but believed that the team will overcome this and win Gold medal. Even Malaysian Hockey Confederation has kept a target of winning Gold medal in the tournament with MHC president saying that he is confident that the team will at least reach the finals of the tournament.

We spoke to renowned hockey journalist of Jugjet Singh (@JugjetSingh) of New Straits Times about Malaysia’s chances in the Asian Games and he has this to say:

ON MALAYSIA’S CHANCES IN THE TOURNAMENT

Expecting Malaysia to win the Gold medal in the tournament. Pakistan are our only challengers in Group B, and both teams will be playing to top the group and avoid favorites India in the semi-finals.

Malaysia and Pakistan should win full points against Bangladesh, Oman, Kazakhstan and Thailand.

ON KEY PLAYERS FOR MALAYSIA

Experienced campaigner S. Kumar in Goal; Razie Rahim in defense and as a penalty corner expert. Midfield Fitri Saari to build the play while in attack, Fitri’s younger brother Faizal Saari. Captain Shukri Mutalib who is equally equipped to play in attack, midfield and defense.

ON WHICH TEAM WILL POSE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO MALAYSIA

India in the semi-finals/ or finals, always the crunch match as they even denied Malaysia a spot in the Rio de Janeiro during the Belgium Olympics Qualifier.

ON FINAL PLACINGS IN THE ASIAN GAMES

Gold -- Malaysia

Silver -- India

Bronze – Pakistan

Shukri Mutalib has been named as captain of Malaysian side for the tournament. Return of goalkeeper Kumar Subramaniam (considered among the best goalkeepers in the world) will also help Malaysia in achieving the elusive Gold medal.

TEAM

S. Kumar, Hairi Rahman, Sukri Mutalib (C), Razie Rahim,
Syed Syafiq Syed Cholan, Azri Hassan, Faiz Helmi Jali, Nabil Fiqri,
Marhan Jalil, Meor Azuan Hassan, Fitri Saari, Joel Samuel van Huizen,
Amirol Aideed Arshad, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, Faizal Saari, Nik Aiman Nik Rozemi, Firhan Ashari, Shahril Saabah.

Indian Hockey Team At Fan Central In Hockey World Cup 2018

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 12:43:00 +0000

Indian women hockey team which is participating in the Vitality Women Hockey World Cup met hockey fans the Fans Central at Lee Valley Hockey Stadium in the game before USA.

Captain Rani Rampal and defender Reena Khokhar were interviewed by the host.

Check out the video now.

Women's Hockey World Cup: Day 3 and Day 4 in Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bhogal) — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 01:04:00 +0000

Vitality Hockey World Cup 2018

After a day of well-deserved rest, hockey action was back on Day 3 with two games between Japan- New Zealand and Australia-Belgium. Fans who were hoping for a goal fest were disappointed as two games saw just 3 goals being scored as the game between Australia and Belgium ended in a 0-0 draw.

The day 3 started with 'Cherry Blossoms' Japan taking on 'Black Sticks' New Zealand with neutral hockey fans expecting New Zealand to easily beat Japan. But, they were in for a shock as Japan played with real intent and earned a 2-1 win over New Zealand.

Goal scoring pattern

The game between Australia and Belgium was dominated by Australia but there were no goals to show for at the end of the game while Belgium enjoyed better possession among both the teams. Australia had 10 shots on target compared to Belgium's 3 and Australia also won 6 penalty corners but could not score off any of those.

Top Goalscorers

While match-day 4 of the World Cup saw Germany beating Argentina 3-2 with Charlotte Stapenhorst joining Argentina's Maria Ortiz as the top goal scorer of the tournament with 3 goals while USA and England played a 1-1 draw. Alex Danson opened the scoring for hosts England in the 34th minute of the play but USA took just 5 minutes to equalize through Erin Matson.

Field goals rule

Here are some numbers from Day 3 and 4 of Vitality Hockey World Cup

Dismal penalty corner conversion rate

Japan became the first Asian team to secure a win at the World Cup 2018 when they beat New Zealand 2-1.
49 goals have been scored in the World Cup in 12 matches with an average of 4.08 goals per game.

Out of teams from 5 continents, only Africa is yet to register a victory with Japan getting the first win for Asia with the win over New Zealand.
Field goals still rule the World Cup with 64% of the goals scored being field goals, while 29% of goals were scored through penalty corners.
Maria Ortiz of Argentina and Charlotte Stapenshorst of Germany are top scorers of the tournament with 3 goals. All three goals were scored by both the players were field goals.
Top position of the naughty list is currently held by 4 players- Brooke Peris of Australia, Xiaoming Song of China, Maria Garraffo of Italy and Olivia Merry of New Zealand.
Penalty corner conversion ratio has steeply fallen down as only 13 of the total 76 penalty corners earned were converted with conversion ratio of just 17%.

Day 5 of the Vitality Hockey World Cup will see Spain taking on South Africa as both teams are looking to earn their first victory of the tournament. Second game of the day will see India facing Ireland.