Thunder Thais!

Indian hockey was on a high in 1999 after the 1998 Asian games gold in Bangkok

Indian hockey was on a high in 1999 after the 1998 Asian games gold in Bangkok

Dhanraj Pillay

Dhanraj Pillay is hugged by Indian Hockey Federation secretary K Jothikumaran after clinching gold in the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games PIC/MiD DAY ARCHIVES

TEN years may seem like a lifetime, but for me it is as though it was only yesterday.
I had just led the Indian team to the Asian Games gold in Bangkok in December 1998 -- a feat achieved after 32 years -- and was given a rather shocking New Year's gift in the first week of January 1999, when six of us from the Asian games gold-winning squad -- goalkeepers Ashish Ballal, A B Subbaiah and strikers Mukesh Kumar, Sabu Varkey, Sandeep Somesh and myself were sacked by the Indian Hockey Federation, on the basis of wanting to build a young side for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Perfect blend
However, a few months later good sense prevailed and based on our sterling performances on the domestic circuit, most of us were reinstated. From then on began an intense training regime for Sydney. Indian hockey was on a high after Bangkok.

The Asian Games side was a perfect blend of youth and experience and this kept us in good stead for Sydney 2000. Tough training followed with everyone expecting a good performance from a team that they felt had the best shot in recent times to bring Indian hockey glory at the Olympics once again.

Unfortunately, we conceded an equalising goal (1-1) with a minute and 48 seconds to go in the league tie against Poland, which we had to either draw 2-2 or win to go through to the semi-finals.
Till date, Indian hockey is yet to recover from that Olympic shocker.

But all said and done, the year 1999 will always remain a special one for Indian hockey and for me personally.
To lead the country to Asian supremacy is something I had dreamt of, besides of course Olympic glory too.
I'm glad I could fulfill at least one of my dreams.

- Dhanraj Pillay is a former India hockey captainu00a0as told to Ashwin Ferro

2009: A whiff of Spanish flavour
In 2009, Indian hockey got a whiff of Spanish flavour with Jose Brasa's appointment as the coach.
Given the turmoil that Indian hockey was in for over a year after the team failed to qualify for the Olympics, Brasa's appointment proved a calming influence on the squad although there were problems which needed sorting out.
The Azlan Shah Cup triumph was a ray of hope, dispelling some 2008 thunderclouds. This year can be seen as a warm-up for a very busy and needle-edged 2010, as Indian hockey struggles to regain a shred of its past glory.

The future: Exciting and challenging
M M Somaya, member of the Indian Olympic gold medal winning team in 1980 says:u00a0 Modern hockey is all about speed and stamina and given that this Indian team is full of youngsters, the future of Indian hockey is very bright.
Hockey has assumed an entirely new dimension with the change of rules in the recent past, which I believe is for the better. For instance, take the rule that does not require a player to pass the ball to another before restarting the game interrupted by a foul or any other reason. This is to encourage a smooth flow of the game with minimum stoppagesu00a0-- a young bunch of players will obviously be in a better position to take advantage of this new rule.u00a0 Speaking about the immediate future however, the year 2010 is very crucial. Firstly, there is the World Cup in New Delhi (February 28-March 13), followed by the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi (October 3-14) and then the Asian Games in China (November 12-27). I hope and pray the Indian hockey team does well in all three tournaments.

As told to Ashwin Ferro

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