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From winning accolades on the global stage to winning immense popularity back home, 2016 was a game-changing (pun unintended) year for the the Indian hockey team.
In the past few years, the number of lows for the national hockey side had been substantially more frequent than their highs. However, that changed this year. After failing to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, India stood last in the 2012 London Games. But the side rebounded resolutely with a silver medal finish at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. And the gold in the 2014 Asian Games ensured India became the first hockey team to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
But even through all this, the Indian hockey team’s management was falling apart. Coach after coach was changed until the then high performance director Roelant Oltmans was also named head coach of the side.
In 2016, the hard work that the team put in along with their coach showed in their performances on the field. Even when up against the world’s top teams like Australia and Argentina, the Indian men were a force to reckon with.
Here’s a look back at the Indian hockey team’s glittering 2016 timeline and the players who spearheaded their revolution.
A String of Successes
In the first big tournament of the year, India reached the finals of the South Asian Games in February 2016, where they lost to arch-rivals Pakistan 0-1. Earlier, in their first meeting during the tournament in Guwahati, India went down 1-2 to their neighbouring nation.
Subsequently, the Indian squad had a successful tour abroad in April and June of 2016. In the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in April, India made it to the summit finale, where they were drubbed 4-0 by a higher-ranked Australian team.
Meanwhile, then hockey skipper Sardar Singh was accused of sexual exploitation and alleged rape by a 21-year-old British woman. Following the allegations, he was rested for the Champions Trophy tournament in June.
Led by PR Sreejesh, the team bagged a historic silver medal at the Champions Trophy in London. The team qualified for the finals for the first time ever and got a podium finish after a gap of 34 years. Immediately after, the hockey team travelled to Spain for the Six Nations Tournament. This time, though, they could not get past the group stage.
Rio Olympics
An upbeat but exhausted Indian hockey squad returned home after a successful tour of Europe, with the prep for the upcoming Olympic Games in August on top of their minds. The team camped at the Sports Authority of India centre in Bangalore to train for the Rio Games.
Once at the Olympic Village, the team faced a few hiccups in the form of ill-fitting jerseys and furniture-less rooms. But the boys stayed focused on their game. India won their opening match against Ireland 3-2, with Rupinder Pal Singh’s scoring two and VR Raghunath netting one goal.
India lost their second game to Germany. But their next match against Argentina was the highlight of their tournament. Manipur lads Khadangbam Kothajit and Kangujam Chinglensana scored a goal each to ensure India beat Argentina after 10 years and virtually secure a last berth in the last eight.
They subsequently drew 2-2 with Canada and lost to the Dutch 1-2, but managed to qualify for the quarterfinals for the first time since the 2004 Athens edition. A lacklustre India squandered a one-goal advantage to go down 1-3 to Belgium in the quarterfinals and crashed out of the men’s hockey competition of the Rio Olympics.
Players Who Spearheaded India’s Hockey Revolution
From finding a new captain in PR Sreejesh to Rupinder Pal Singh who refused to miss any penalty corners, the most significant reason for the Indian hockey team’s revolution was its players. Coach Oltmans’ strategies did wonders but only because of the team’s willingness to follow through with them.
PR Sreejesh replaced marquee player Sardar Singh as captain of the Indian hockey team this year, a decision clearly not just based on the controversies in Singh’s personal life considering his lacklustre performance. A key member of the Indian side and a world-class goalkeeper, PR spearheaded India’s hockey movement this year. In fact, the Indian skip is also in contention for International Hockey Federation’s goalkeeper of the year award.
A consistently outstanding performer, Rupinder was the highest goal-scorer in the 2016 ACT and was also India’s top scorer in Rio. Besides the other senior and experienced team players, younger players like Akashdeep Singh have also been an integral part of India’s upward surge.
Ending 2016 as Asian Champions
In their last big tournament of 2016, the Indian team remained undefeated, clinching the gold at the Asian Champions Trophy in Kuantan, Malaysia.
India went in as the highest ranked team in Asia. Besides drawing South Korea 1-1 in the group stage, India won all other matches including a 10-2 win against Japan and 9-0 one against China. They also beat arch-rivals and defending champions Pakistan 3-2 in both, the round-robin match and the summit clash.
Subsequently in November 2016, India flew to Australia where they played the Four Nations Tournament and a two-match Test series against the Kookaburras. After losing to Australia and New Zealand, India crashed out of the title clash of the Four Nations Invitational Tournament in Melbourne. However, a 4-1 win against Malaysia ensured India finish third. In the two games against world champions Australia, India managed to win the first 3-2 but lost the second 3-2 to draw the series.
Though the accolades weren’t plenty, it was the feats that the team achieved on the global level after a considerable gap that made 2016 a revolutionary year for the Indian hockey team.
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