MUMBAI: Having “fed the 5,000” and fulfilled his duty of leading the Indian hockey team to Olympic qualification, coach Michael Nobbs has set the target of a top-six finish in London.
The former hockey powerhouse won the last of their eight gold medals in 1980 but their gradual decline reached its lowest ebb in 2008 when the team failed to qualify for the Beijing, the first time India missed a Games in 80 years.
So it was a huge relief for the nation when the team won a qualifying tournament in Delhi in February to seal a London berth.
“They were just not going anywhere because they were sitting 10th in the world.
“And then everyone came up to me and said ‘you realise you have to qualify?’
“At least 5,000 have told me and I was waiting for the rest of the nation to walk up to me and tell me. It was very stressful.”
A rumbling administrative row and cricket’s emergence as the most dominant sport in the country have not helped Indian hockey.
But the team’s qualification gave hockey some rare front page coverage in local dailies and also dominated the primetime news slots.
Nobbs considers India an “unseeded player” when they face-off against their higher-ranked opponents that include Australia, Germany and Netherlands, during the London Games.
Tough Ask
“Realistically, let me put it this way. Anything can happen,” Nobbs said by phone from Bangalore, where a national camp for the players was being held.
“We are an unseeded player, playing against top seeds and there is always a chance that we can knock a few of them off.
“I think if we can finish in the top six that would be realistic but it would be a pretty tough ask. If we can do anything better than that, we will be profoundly happy.” Nobbs felt more time was needed before the players could match the fitness and strength of their counterparts from Australia and Europe.
“One thing that is hindering us is the fact that our European and Australian counterparts have spent five-six years preparing for this Olympic Games. We have spent six months and trying to repair the damage that’s been caused over a number years.” (Agencies)