FIH Men's World Cup: India stare at Herculean challenge

There’s an air of optimism wafting through the Indian hockey team. A bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021 and a third-place finish in the FIH Pro League 2021-22 has galvanised the side and injected a sense of confidence and camaraderie rarely seen in the past few decades. They believe they stand a decent chance of winning a medal at the FIH World Cup starting Friday in Rourkela and Bhubaneswar, hoping to end a 48-year wait for a podium finish.

So, can India, who lost to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals in the previous edition in Bhubaneswar, change the script this time? Can they handle the immense expectation of playing at home? Do they have the physicality and mentality to match the European powerhouses and the mighty Australians? Will they be able to turn the tide of history — nearly five decades of no silverware in the marquee event is a very heavy cross to bear — that is weighing heavily on them? The simple answer to such questions is it’s going to be a Herculean challenge.

Since the advent of astroturf in the 1980s, India have normally entered major events like World Cups, Olympics and Champions Trophy without much expectations. There would seemingly be a hint of resignation even before they could take the field against the likes of Netherlands, Australia and Germany. A win or a draw against one of the modern heavyweights is all that they cherished. Medalling, they knew, was a daunting task. So, what has caused a change in expectations this time?

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Unlike the sides of the past, this Indian team stands out on two counts — they can play with discipline and verve for longer periods without losing shape and have a coach who has nicely blended India’s natural flair with organised play of the west. Ever since Spaniard Jose Brasa was named as the first foreign coach in May 2009, India have had five more foreigners come in and go. Each one of them has tried to alter the playing style, mostly sacrificing attack for deep defence, and the results have not been great simply because a majority of the players just couldn’t adapt.

Graham Reid, however, has found a good balance. The no-nonsense Australian has allowed the team to play their natural attacking hockey but in a more effective manner. Instead of usual dribbles and running into a dead wall, the forwards now surge with purpose and passes are more precise. Reid has also injected discipline in defence and the team has shown they can handle pressure in the last 10 minutes where their predecessors would often buckle.

India will get a reality check in the opening game where they take on dangerous Spain in Rourkela on Friday. Two days later they face England, ranked one rung higher at No. 5, before signing off their Group D campaign against Wales in Bhubaneswar on Jan 19. Given that group topper advances directly to the quarterfinals and the second and third-placed sides compete in cross-over matches to secure a last-eight berth, India will most certainly advance to the knockouts. That's when the real test begins for them where the usual suspects lie in wait.

Defending champions Belgium, three-time champions Australia and Netherlands, and two-time winners Germany are the ones expected to scale the summit yet again. Belgium, once the also-rans in Europe, have now become the gold standard and they’ll be keen to keep the lustre glowing for another four years. They have some incredibly talented players and unlike their celebrated football team who flatter to deceive in major events, the hockey players deliver without much song and dance.

Netherlands, who lost in the finals of the previous two editions, will be desperate to make it third time lucky while Australia will be keen to add a fourth star to their jerseys. Germany aren’t quite the force they used to be but counting them out in a major event is a gamble one wouldn’t take.

Then there’s a dark horse in Argentina. The country is still hungover by the FIFA World Cup success and the hockey stars, who won the 2016 Rio Olympics gold, will be looking to match the heights of Lionel Messi’s men.