Hockey: India juniors play Argentina in 1st hockey test

India will look to counter the robust tactics of world champions Argentina in their first of the four-match junior hockey test series at the Ciudad de Buenos Aires Club here tomorrow.
India will also clash with Holland in a one off test here on Friday.

The 20-member Indian squad led by drag-flicker Diwakar Ram had light training today after arriving here yesterday.

The under 21 team missed out on a tour to Pakistan last month due to government not granting them permission. However, they competed in the Senior Nehru Hockey tournament and won the coveted title.

Coach AK Bansal is confident that his charges will be well-prepared to counter the robust tactics of Argentina.

“We will play hard and not be cowed down,” said Bansal.

India will have Mrinal Chaubey in the goal while the deep defence will be manned by Diwakar Ram and Innocent Kullu.

The midfield responsibilities will be shouldered among Birender Lakra, Vikas Sharma, Vivek and Manjeet Kullu. Wingers Pramod Kumar and Danish Mujtaba along with strikers Jay Karan and Asif Khan are expected to provide the sting in the attack.

Argentina coach Pablo Lombi said that the series would be well fought and this would help both teams in their preparation for the Junior World Cup in Singapore and Malaysia in June next year.

Argentina, who were trounced by India 6-1 in the final of 2001 Junior World Cup at Hobart, Australia, are captained by defender Martin Gebhardt. They will orchestrate a compact defence and midfield strategy and hope for strikers Augustin Mazzilli and Santiago Montelli to come good and score the goals.

Hockey: Book on Dhyanchand hopes to inspire hockey players

This is an article from IBNlive.com

In India’s sporting folklore there are few men who are revered as much as hockey wizard Dhyanchand. Although much has been written about his exceptional skill on the field, now comes a personal account of the man behind the legend.

Sports Minister MS Gill on Wednesday released a book Hockey ke Jadugar Major Dhyanchand: Kahani Apno ke Jubani on the three-time Olympic gold medallist.

Indian hockey fans affectionately called him the jadugar (magician) in his playing days and later he became Dada Dhyanchand.

The book has been written by Dhyanchand’s daughter-in-law Dr Meena Umesh Dhyanchand.

“I have tried to make a small contribution from my side to inspire and encourage hockey players, ” said Dr Meena.

The name Dhyanchand is still remembered with awe by hockey world but it was different at home.

Forever a simple man his children didn’t know for a long time that their father was a colossus of the game.

“We subscribed Hindi newspaper Navbharat Times and we used to read his name sometimes in a week or two. Sometimes we used to feel very proud that our father’s name has come in papers,” Dhyanchand’s son Ashok Kumar, who represented India in 1972 and 1976 Olympics, said.

Dhyanchand ruled the hockey field and when he played India never lost. Yet he was never well of financially amd even today not much has changed and the next generation has found new heroes. So have we forgotten Dhyanchand?

“Unfortunately yes, we have forgotten the contribution of Dada and we have forgotten that period, that particular moment in 1936 when he waved the Tricolour when we were not even independent. I believe it was August 15, if I am not mistaken. After many, many years we realised what independence is,” said Olympian Jagbir Singh.

One can only hope the book never lets Indian sports fans forget the man who taught us what winning meant.

Tirkey has been ommitted from probable list

In a rather surprising move Dileep Tirkey, a two time olympian has been omitted from the list of probables for the Indian Hockey Team. It is said he has been dropped because of an ankle injury that he picked up.

Hockey under Gill :)

Here is a satirical take on the hockey under the steward ship of KPS Gill. I found this on the NDTV Website….

2010 – India finish last in hockey World Cup

India finished 12th in the men’s hockey world cup. IHF chief KPS Gill blamed the loss on the film Chak De India for unnecessarily raising people’s hopes from hockey. He refused to resign.

2015 – India win cricket World Cup

Sachin Tendulkar, aged 42, hit a century against Australia to help India win the world cup final. Meanwhile, India’s hockey team slipped to world rank 24. IHF chief KPS Gill blamed it on the Indian media for promoting cricket and ignoring hockey.

2020 – Gill takes over Gilli Danda Federation

KPS Gill, who is also the IHF chief, took over as the president of Indian Gilli Danda Federation. The Indian team had won the Gilli Danda gold in the last Olympics and are the current world cup holders. “I will put the Gill in Gilli”, Gill, 85 years old, joked. Meanwhile, India’s hockey team has slipped to rank 50 out of 75 teams.

2025 – India finish last in Gilli Danda World Cup

India finished last in the recently concluded Gilli Danda world cup in Washington DC. The IGDF chief KPS Gill, also the IHF chief, refused to resign from his post and blamed the defeat on Lalit Modi, the chairman of the Cricket Champions League, for not keeping his promise of promoting other sports in India.

2030 – Osama captured, Gill pleased

After 30 years of searching him, the US army finally managed to capture Osama Bin Laden. KPS Gill, who had fought off militancy in Punjab, congratulated the US. Meanwhile, India’s hockey team is ranked last among all hockey-playing nations. Gill, who has been the IHF chief for the last 39 years, blamed creatures from outer space for the slip. “Our best players have been abducted by aliens,” Gill said.

2035 – Census shows there are more tigers than hockey players

Latest research suggests that the number of tigers remaining in the Indian wild is seven. That number is still larger than the number of people who play hockey in India. The IHF chief KPS Gill, who recently turned 100 years old, blamed today’s youth for hockey’s decline. “Kids are too lazy these days,” he said.

2040 – Kashmir issue resolved, Gill wants to head Kashmir hockey federation

After Kashmir was deemed an independent state by both India and Pakistan, IHF chief KPS Gill showed interest in heading the Kashmir Hockey Federation. “Look at my fantastic achievements as the IHF president,” he proudly said. “An Asian Games gold 42 years ago, an Asia Cup win 35 years ago “

2045 – Latte Day goes bankrupt after Gill appointed brand ambassador

Latte Day, a popular coffee chain in India, went bankrupt two weeks after appointing KPS Gill as their brand ambassador. Gill lamented: “Making instant coffee is not like making instant coffee. It takes a lot of time to get results.” He later denied having said that and blamed the media for misquoting him.

2057 – Chak De stars gather at 50th anniversary

Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Malvade and other actors in Chak De India gathered at the 50th anniversary celebration of the film. They blamed the IHF chief KPS Gill for the poor state of Indian hockey. Meanwhile, Gill accused Shah Rukh and his Cricket Champions League winning Kolkata Knightriders for stealing sponsors away from hockey.

2065 – Oxford Dictionary adds the word ‘KPSGill’

The Oxford English dictionary added the word KPSGill to their latest edition. The word means someone who cannot be reasoned with. Gill, who still heads the IHF at age 130, blamed today’s corporate culture for hockey’s decline in the country. Meanwhile, young managers have learnt a new way to lament: “My boss is such a KPSGill!”

2080 – India-Pakistan become one country

The impossible happened. India and Pakistan, after many years of enmity, become one country. The prime ministers of both states honoured IHF chief KPS Gill, who is the last surviving person to have witnessed the partition. At a function, Gill blamed the partition for the decline in Indian hockey, but expressed interest in heading the hockey federation of both countries.

2100 – Last hockey player in India bored

Gyan Chand Singh, who is said to be the last hockey player in India, is disappointed that there’s nobody around to play the game with. “I am bored playing defence, offence, mid field and goalie at the same time – for both teams,” said Singh, who is related to hockey great Dhyan Chand. IHF chief KPS Gill, aged 165 years, ruled out resigning from his post even as there were protests in India over the decline of hockey.

2110 – Gill wards off attack from UFO

IHF chief KPS Gill, using only a hockey stick, warded off an attack from vicious aliens from outer space and saved the Earth from annihilation. When the creatures were contacted, they told the media that they got scared by the 175-year-old man’s formidable reputation and decided not to attack the planet. Gill blamed hockey players for the attack on him: “There aren’t enough hockey players left to abduct, so the aliens attacked me instead.”

2135 – Last hockey player in India dies

The last hockey player in India, Gyan Chand Singh, died today in poverty. The president of the IHF, the 200-year-old KPS Gill, refused to take the blame for player’s poverty. “The players have died, not me,” he said.

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/showsports.aspx?id=SPOEN20080043957

The Chak De effect on Indian hockey

In recent memory never had a hockey team in India cornered all the attention and never had a hockey coach been such a star.

With Chak De India Shah Rukh Khan, who we see more at cricket matches, had become an unofficial brand ambassador for hockey.

But beyond the hype and hoopla there was a calculated business truth. Two weeks after Chak De India‘s release it had become clear that it had scored a goal at the box office and become a phenomenon.

This less than conventional tale with no romance and no high-billed heroines, instead an intimate and inspiring story of patriotism and team-spirit has won the heart of the nation.

The story is based loosely on the career of former Indian goalkeeper Mir Ranjan Negi who fell from grace after conceding seven goals against Pakistan in the 1982 Asian Games final.

In the film the protagonist returns to the game with a vengeance by coaching the women’s team to a great international victory.

“I should say that I’m really inspired. People should make this kind of movies, which inspire not only the players, but also encourage youngsters to take up the game. It has, you know. When you’re playing for the country, when you’re wearing the Indian jersey, it’s an altogether different feeling. And especially when you’re playing in front of your home crowd,” said Sunil Chhetri, Member, JCT, Indian Footballer.

Reviving hockey

The film was credited with reviving hockey, bringing it back into limelight, if even for a while, and giving the game a memorable celluloid chant.

“The intricate meaning of the word is Chak De Phatte, Nap De Killi. Killi is a small lever that you pull. And when you pull it, the water starts gushing into the fields through a motor. Now that Killi is always invariably hidden under a well. And that well is covered by wooden planks. So you lift the phatta, i.e. Chak De Phatta, and then you pull the killi. And then the water starts flowing, gushing into the fields. So it’s got everything to do with positivity,” said Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Indian cricket player.

And Komal, Preeti, Bindiya, Balbir and Sui Mui became household names.

“Ya, first of all hockey as a sport doesn’t get much money allotted to it by major corporations, because it’s not the kind of sport that gets much attention. Plus, again because it was a women’s film and was a genre in a film that really hadn’t been done before,” said Shimit Amin, Director, Chak De India.

Yes, Chak De India was just a movie and there is a huge difference between reel life and real life.

But soon as the Indian hockey team lifted the men’s Asia Cup hockey title with a huge 7-2 win over South Korea in Chennai, many said the film had been a motivating factor for our players.

Of course, very quickly the Chak De chant had been usurped by cricket at the T20 world Cup win, claiming the universal spirit of any game.

Nothing perhaps could sum up the marriage of sportsmanship in reel and real life better than this.

India might miss the Hockey world cup in 2010

As if the failure to make it to the Beijing was not bad enough, India could miss out on hosting the 2010 men’s hockey World Cup as well if the FIH is not satisfied with the steps taken to revive the game in the country.The world body has provisionally allotted the mega event to New Delhi, but the FIH Executive Board will decide in its meetings starting in Lausanne, Switzerland on March 25, whether to confirm the proposal.

“The FIH Executive Board will discuss further steps to be taken on continuing the project ‘Promoting Indian Hockey’ and on the decision on the staging of the 2010 Men’s World Cup in New Delhi,” the president of the world body Els van Breda Vriesman said in an official statement.
She indicated that the hosting rights for the 2010 World Cup were subject to the Indian Hockey Federation getting its act together and showing some initiative in putting the game back on the track in the country.“It has been made clear that the staging of the 2010 World Cup is related to the success of the project and the world body is still waiting for signs that things are really going to happen in India,” Vriesman said.

FIH had done its bit by launching the ‘Promoting Indian Hockey’ project and getting Australian legend Ric Charlesworth as IHF’s Technical Adviser, but it seems the world body is not satisfied that the KPS Gill-led Federation is keeping its end of the bargain.“The result (in Chile) shows that Indian Hockey now needs to implement the Operational Plans which have been provided nearly a year ago as part of the project ‘Promoting Indian Hockey’ without any further delay.“

In these plans, Ric Charlesworth is going to play an instrumental role for a more structural development of Indian hockey in the long term, while he can also be of great assistance on the short term with the help of the Indian Ministry of Sports and the Indian Hockey Confederation,” the FIH boss said.

“The project ‘Promoting Indian Hockey’, supported by the FIH, the International Olympic Committee and the Indian Olympic Association, should be taken seriously to achieve progress in the identified areas of concern, amongst them the national teams of India,” she added.