When one thinks about the word shine and connects it with India in sport, the default discipline that comes to mind is cricket.
Perhaps one is not wrong to think on these lines as the Indian Cricket Team has been shinning in all its glory on the world stage for sometime now amid lifting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup recently.
They are undoubtedly the source of illumination galore akin to an emotion of happiness and may I say contentment.
Well in the not-so-distant past, this beaming light of happiness has not only been confined to cricket for India albeit also coming to the fore in another sporting discipline which once made this beautiful nation of ours extremely proud: hockey.
Yes, the eight-time Olympic Champions have been playing a purposeful brand of hockey under the astute tutelage of captain Harmanpreet Singh and coach Craig Fulton.
The results are there for all to see in rising to a podium finish at the recently concluded Paris Olympics and soaring to capture their fifth Asian Champions Trophy title just yesterday after conquering China 1-0 in their own backyard.
A feeling beyond words if you ask me and the late great hockey legend Dhyan Chand Ji will also allude to this rather intent oriented outing from the heavens above.
With the performances mounting and the happiness beaming, lets look at how India has managed to become a force to reckon with again on the global stage.
Team Work and Communication
Hockey is inherently a team sport and coach Craig Fulton has instilled the values of effective communication and playing for your fellow team mate each time, every time.
This includes knowing in abundance on when to pass, when to dribble, when to shoot and how to position oneself defensively when the situation demands.
The Indian Hockey team has shown the above traits quite diligently with displaying flashes of individual brilliance in terms of dribbling and tackling as well as attacking and defending in groups to not allow the opposition any opportunity to make a play.
This unquestionably has paid dividends with India soaring to seven consecutive victories and the eventual title in the recently concluded Asian Champions Trophy.
Mental Toughness
The Indian teams of the past have been guilty of showing too much emotion on the field which possibly has got the better of them in ending on the wrong side of enthralling contests.
Well, in the recent past, things have improved remarkably with focus, resilience and a positive mindset being the three-fold approach to conquer every adversity.
Despite conceding a goal early on a few occasions, Harmanpreet and his men have always found a way to comeback into the contest through pure resilience and a focused mindset eliminating the fear of losing.
This undeniably has shown in their performance beating world greats, the likes of Australia, Belgium and Spain enroute to soaring to a bronze at the Paris Olympics for a second consecutive time after Tokyo 2020.
Intent that augurs well for the future
The Indian team after a long period has inculcated this magical word called as intent which has held them in good stead across international competitions.
Every player, the likes of veterans in Sandeep Singh, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh and Harmanpreet Singh ably supported by youngsters like Abhishek, Jugraj Singh and Jarmanpreet Singh focus on showing intent every time they take the field.
The intent to perform, the intent to not backdown and most importantly the intent to win at any cost.
This most certainly augurs well for the future of Indian hockey and one would hope to see this team ascend even further to possibly lift the Hockey World Cup in the time to come after a wait of almost 49 years when they defeated Pakistan in the final enroute to glory way back in 1975.
Yes, let this sink in!
As I conclude, I urge my fellow countrymen to not only celebrate the achievements of our cricket team but also rally behind our hockey players. When 1.4 billion Indians unite in support, the Indian Hockey Team will undoubtedly soar to new heights.
Let’s revel in this remarkable journey and champion our hockey heroes as they aim for even greater glory on the world stage!