World Cup hockey: Ashok Kumar wants Team India to take one game at a time

A 51-year wait for a podium finish since India’s only FIH Men’s World Cup hockey title can be an agonising one, but the legendary Ashok Kumar feels Harmanpreet Singh & Co shouldn’t be thinking too ahead of themselves. ‘’Yes, we have waited for more than 50 years but that should not bring any pressure to the boys. Let them take one match at a time as there are no easy matches in the World Cup,’’ remarked the matchwinner of India’s historic win over Pakistan in the final of 1975 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.

Now 76, the son of hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand was one of the finest inside forwards of his generation and the likes of winning captain Ajit Pal Singh, Surjit Singh and Aslam Sher Khan have been a glorious part of Indian hockey folklore. While India’s World Cup triumph evokes a strong sense of nostalgia, Ashok Kumar has the unique distinction of winning the full range of World Cup medals – a bronze in 1971 (Barcelona), silver in ’73 (Amstelveen) followed by the gold.

While India open their Group D campaign against Wales on Saturday (15 August), they take on England only a day later and then Pakistan on 19^th August. Sounding a note of caution about the green shirts, Ashok Kumar told the National Herald: ‘’Pakistan may not be a force like the past, but we shouldn’t be taking them lightly. They have had a good run in the qualifiers few months back, including a come-from-behind win against Malaysia.’’   

The World Cup, much like Olympics, is conducted in a tight schedule with the teams going all the way required to play seven matches inside two weeks. However, the current Indian team is a seasoned one which stood the pressure of expectations when they ended a 41-year wait for a Olympic podium finish in Tokyo 2020 and followed it up with another one in Paris 2024. ‘’They have the right amount of experience and for a number of them, this World Cup in Europe could be their curtain call. Their target hence should be nothing short of gold and for that, they should be able to minimise mistakes and quickly learn from them as there is very little turnaround time between games,’’ said the man who belonged to the first family of Indian hockey.  

While Dhyan Chand needs no introduction, Kumar’s uncle was the multiple Olympic gold medallist Roop Singh – and it was their influence which prompted him to take baby steps in the game. ‘’Back in the day, India’s domination in the sport was at such a level that anything less than gold was considered a below par showing. When we won silver in 1973, there was huge disappointment of missing out on gold. I even wondered how I would show these medals to my father and uncle. I would feel ashamed to return home with a bronze or silver,” he said. The best show since 1975 was a fifth place twice and sixth one at home in 2018 – performances which would have met with a serious disapproval from the golden generation. 

How has the game changed for the better in last half-a-century? ‘’There is no doubt that the arrival of Astro turf had set countries like us or Pakistan, who relied on individuals skills, on the backfoot. The rule changes now put a huge premium on fitness but has also converted the game into football with pressing and the defenders’ reach has increased due to sliding tackles etc,’’ the master remarked.

The much talked about change of colour of men and women’s teams’ shirts from blue to orange cropped up and Ashok was candid enough to call it an ‘unnecessary’ move. ‘’See, the blue jersey had been a part of our emotions. We had won the ’75 World Cup in a blue shirt while in the last decade, the Olympics medals came in them. However, if the change of colour brings about a change of luck this time, I am okay with it,’’ he added.