Balbir Singh Sr. was manager of the Indian team that won the 1975 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur after which Aslam Sher Khan, who scored the equaliser against Malaysia in the 1975 World Cup in and Ashok Kumar, who scored the solitary goal in India’s victory over Pakistan in the final, became heroes.

Even as India’s standing in world hockey hit a downward spiral in the modern times, the magical, if sometimes mercurial, Dhanraj Pillay emerged a huge star. It did not seem to matter to the fans that Dhanraj Pillay did not matching silverware in his trophy cabinet, except the 1998 Asian Games gold. The fact that he instilled fear in the opposition ranks was enough for the fans.

Full back Dilip Tirkey took over as the biggest Indian player but now, when India’s fan base does not seem to have eroded despite it still being on a treadmill as far as its presence in world hockey is concerned, it does not have a single player with claims of being an icon, a hero. Not one player seems to have the charisma to stand out in a crowd.

Of course, you can argue that it is good in some ways as no player must be larger than the singular unit that his team can be. But the fact is that nearly all sport in India is personality driven and every sport needs its heroes to make an impact in the collective mindset of the sports loving people of this wonderful nation.

So, how can an Indian hockey player – or players, if you please – be built up as a sporting icon?

I am convinced Team India needs to play more often – and win even more often than it does now – at home so that its players can be seen on TV if they are to ever become icons. It was heartening to see news TV channels speak with the Indian players after each game. If such interactions get more frequent, it can only be good for the evolution of their image.

Of course, one of the basic criteria for a player to be built as a star is for him to perform incredibly well – and over a sustained period of time. And on the basis of what we saw in the FIH World Cup where India played six matches, there are not too many who have it in them to wear the mantle of the super star and draw crowds.

I wish Shivendra Singh had not sat out of two crucial matches after starring in India’s 4-1 victory over Pakistan. He must be the one player closest to being a big draw, with his speedy runs and his poaching skills in the rival circle. Full back Sandeep Singh was the other player but he disappointed with both his defending skills and his inability to convert penalty corners.

I guess we will have to wait for a while before we have a super star emerging from the ranks of the Indian team and until that happens, India hockey will have to settle for being in the penumbra of the sporting firmament behind Indian cricket, English Premier League and other European leagues, Formula One, world golf and the professional tennis tours.

Oh! For another Dhyan Chand or Balbir Singh Sr or Aslam Sher Khan or Ashok Kumar or Dhanraj Pillay. Oh! For another Pargat Singh or Dilip Tirkey.

This piece was written for www.stick2hockey.com

It would be an understatement to say that India dominated much of the match – throwing in a number of attackers to raid the South African circle, playing a bit more aggressively than it did in the past few games. And yet, for a large part of the second half, it did not seem to find that one nudge that would slot the ball home – until just five minutes were left for the final whistle.

The irony was showcased tellingly when India earned its second penalty corner in the first half. For the second time running, Arjun Halappa was unable to stop the ball for Sandeep Singh to try and drag-flick it. But, he recovered to be able to pass the ball to an unmarked Diwakar Ram whose powerful drive went in off goalkeeper Erasmus Pieterse’s pads to earn India a 2-1 lead.

We had a greater dose of such a paradox when India scored a fabulous goal when Sarvanjit Singh capped a delightful bout of passing but that had to be disallowed since South Africa had asked for a video referral and secured a penalty corner. The irony was greater because India’s coach Jose Brasa had said a couple of days ago that umpires must not stop play for referrals.

And it became more stark when the video referral paid dividends for South Africa and it was awarded a penalty corner. Lloyd Madsen made no mistake with converting that and pushing his team 3-2 ahead 13 minutes into the second half. The crowd could not believe that India’s goal had been reversed and South Africa given the chance to take the lead.

It was the quarter-hour spell after that which reinforced the cruel irony. India virtually pitched camp in the South African half and did everything but score. The ball was deflected in to the goal twice but on both occasions, the only sticks it connected in the scoring circle were South African and the wild cheer from the home fans were only false alarms.

I was a bit surprised that with the forwards not finding the scoring touch, Brasa did not try the unusual but not unique tactic of making a defender play inside the rival circle to try and deflect the ball in to the goal. Time after time, Rajpal Singh, Prabhjot Singh and Gurwinder Singh Chandi did not make contact with the crosses and yet no innovation was tried.

For quite some time, the threat of having to finish fifth in the group behind South Africa and play-off for the ninth place were looming large. And then, the stadium heaved a collective sigh of relief before bursting out in applause when Shivendra Singh pounced on a rebound off Pieterse’s pads and reverse flicked it in to salvage a draw.

Indeed, the irony was never more apparent.

This piece was written for www.stick2hockey.com

The Indian players set off on a victory lap after beating Pakistan 4-1 in their opening match at the FIH World Cup

The man of the match Sandeep Singh scored once in each half while Shivendra Singh and Prabhjot Singh pumped in one each as India piled immense pressure on the Pakistan defence. Yet, it was really the Indian midfield that won the day and helped India win 4-1. And none shone brighter than Bharat Chikara who gave Rehan Butt little elbow room to showcase his magical skills.

In a sport in which the focus is usually on the strikers and, less frequently, the goalkeepers, it needs a command performance from a midfielder to steal the thunder from under everyone else’s nose. And Bharat Chhikara did just that – and to make things so much better, the Haryana player with just over 50 caps did it without much ado.

To say that he shadowed Rehan Butt would be taking away the sheen from Bharat Chikara’s efforts. For shadowing entails being in the slipstream of the rival player. On the contrary, the tough left-half was half a step ahead of the Pakistan spearhead and almost intuitively anticipated his every twist, every feint right through the game.

It is another matter that the midfielder thought his performance was quite average. “I gave Rehan Butt some room early on and I think I could have been better,” he told me after the match when the media largely ignored him and pursued the scorers. “I got a fair idea of how he thinks and moves from the match in the Champions Challenge I in Argentina in December last.”

But he can draw heart from the fact that coach Jose Brasa picked him and Sardara Singh as the Indian players of the night. “We were better than Pakistan in all our lines – be it defence, midfield or forwards – but I know that we could have played better,” he said. “Having said that, I believe Bharat and Sardara led the team’s collective effort.”

Truth to tell, the others in the Indian midfield played their hearts out as well, falling back deep to defend but showing no hesitation in pressing forward and forcing Pakistan to be on the backfoot much of the time, ensuring that goalkeeper P R Sreejesh was rarely tested.  On a night when the woodwork favoured India by blocking two of Sohail Abbas’s penalty corner strikes, the intensity that Bharat Chikara displayed was matched by his team-mates.

Sardara Singh, for example, showed nerves of steel and a large heart as he played the pivotal role in ensuring that many Pakistan moves did not assume dangerous proportions and the Indian attack was well fed. Arjun Halappa and Dhananjay Mahadik had their moments as well on a night when India’s collective effort – and this included the pressure exerted from the stands — outweighed Pakistan.

This piece was written for www.stick2hockey.com