India will vie for Asian Games hockey gold tomorrow, last won 16 years ago

By Gaurav Kalra
That Bangkok evening in 1998 is still fresh in Ashish Ballal’s memory. The final against South Korea had ended 1-1 and the gold medal would be decided by a penalty shootout. Ballal was in goal and knew this was the defining moment of his career.

“There is no feeling to compare with the euphoria of listening to the national anthem and standing on the podium along with your teammates, tears flowing uncontrollably,” he recalls.

Ballal is remembered to this day for saving two strokes that give India their first Asian Games gold since 1966. The coaching staff had toyed with idea of replacing Ballal with A B Subbiah for the shootout but head coach MK Kaushik went with his first choice custodian.

“There was some talk that I might be tired after the match,” Ballal remembers. “I just went up to the coach and said, if you want to win this, just keep me in the goal.” Indian hockey hasn’t experienced a similarly nerve-tingling moment since.

On Sunday, they begin another Asian Games campaign in search of gold. Coach Terry Walsh says, “The whole team is fit and all charged up for the challenge. The Commonwealth Games silver has really motivated the team and they are ready to deliver even better results.”

While India’s performance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow where they lost the final to World Champions Australia was encouraging, the Asian games presents a unique challenge. India is in the same pool as defending champions and eight time gold medalists Pakistan besides Sri Lanka, Oman and China.

Although Pakistan failed to qualify for the World Cup where India finished ninth and couldn’t take part in the Commonwealth Games due to a split in their National Olympic body, captain Mohammad Imran is unruffled.

“Each team knows the pattern of other teams and the way they attack or defend. But we might just have an advantage because other teams may not have seen us enough,” he says. While winning an Asian Games gold is an accomplishment in itself, there is the added allure of direct Olympic qualification for the champions.

Drag Flicker VR Raghunath says, “The team is preparing to face the toughest of situations. We have been concentrating on the footwork of the midfielders and defenders, to have good coordination to handle the pressure together.”

The Asian games are also a litmus test for both Walsh and high-performance director Roelant Oltmans who have been entrusted with turning India’s fortunes around. “I totally disagree with the system in place,” says Ballal. “You pay such fancy salaries for under-performing foreign coaches while Indian coaches who have achieved more are being given a pittance. I hope India wins this time otherwise it will be a real shame on tax-payers money.”

The real game-changer in Incheon could well be the new format with four 15-minute quarters replacing two 35-minute halves. India’s players are confident of adjusting quickly.

“The new format is actually an added advantage, as it will not only make the game much faster, but will also offer time to the players to re-energise during every quarter to fight more efficiently,” says Vice-captain and goalkeeper P R Sreejesh.

While Imran admits India’s players are at an advantage having played under a similar format in the Hockey India league he says, “Our training has centred around this aspect too.” While the Indian men’s team hasn’t won gold for 16 years, the women have been waiting since 1982.

Captain Ritu Rani, one of four members of the squad to have played earned more than 100 international caps says, “Our focus has been on improving our penalty corner conversion. We can reach the final and the gold medal is in our reach.”

To win gold India will have to overcome not just three-time defending champions China who are in the same pool but also South Korea and Japan who have a higher world ranking. Coach Neil Hagwood is expecting a “high level of performance” from his girls.

“The team has been practicing thoroughly and are in their best form,” he says. For both India’s men and women, the next few days offer a rare opportunity. Ballal remembers words from a motivational speech that popped up in his mind as the 1998 final reached an enthralling crescendo.

“You will not stand out or be recognised unless you win a major title.” Can India’s teams grab their chance in Incheon?