Pro League run a wake-up call for Indian hockey

THE men's team lost seven on the bounce.

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN @Chennai

Coach Craig Fulton dropped the 'f' (the one that rhymes with duck) bomb on live TV ("we are not here to ducking lose..."). Senior pros made mistakes which wouldn't have been out of place in school hockey. One senior, Lalit Upadhyay, announced his retirement.

When they left for the European leg of the Pro League, the team had one agenda: Securing the World Cup berth on offer. When the dust settled, they finished ninth, just one spot above Ireland and relegation. It's kind of fair to say their best laid plans didn't come to fruition. But there's two ways of looking at the last month or so they have had in Europe.

The simplistic, more rudimentary way of looking at things is this: In an earlier era, losing seven on the bounce would have led to instant hand-wringing, doubts about the coach's position, why the men's team don't deserve patience...you get the drift. These days? There's more understanding as people have come to realise the context behind these games.