Dhyan Chand- India's first sporting legend

Years pass by, Generations pass by, but some people are never ever forgotten! Major Dhyan Chand is one of them! Today, India celebrates the birth anniversary of the greatest man ever to grace the hockey field! Here are some quotes on the WIZARD of hockey!

"He scores goals as runs in cricket' - Sir Don Bradman

"He is the greatest, yes I want him in my team but he is too patriotic to come here" - Adolf Hitler, after Dhyan Chand straight away rejected his tempting proposal of 

joining the German team

Indian hockey and its defensive crisis!

Almost every aspect of the Indian Hockey team has grown under Micheal Nobbs. “Almost” in the above sentence has the maximum weight. I have used “Almost” because there is still one area in which India has not grown. Our attack line is awesome, our midfield is creative and disciplined, but what about our defense? Is it disciplined enough? The simple answer to the question is – NOT AT ALL!

What’s the problem?

Sandeep Singh & VR Raghunath! When you look at these names, the first thing that comes to our mind is – drag flicks. And why not, we are gifted enough to have 2 of the best drag flickers in the world. But my question is, isn’t hockey beyond Drag Flicks? Why aren’t they famous for their defensive skills? Yes, Sandeep is an exceptional drag flicker. Yes, he makes those lovely solo runs. But he is an average defender.

Our defenders are very poor in marking & look vulnerable at times. Such is our helplessness that Ignace Tirckey has to drop back and play as the 3rd defender for most of the matches. At times, we defend poorly than most of the 2nd tire teams in world hockey. Yes we do have Rupinderpal Singh but let’s be realistic, he ain’t good enough! The problem is, we have attacking minded defenders and not one out-and-out defender. We now realize the importance of Dilip Tirkey and his calm & composed solid defending.

The downfall & resurgence of Hockey in India

There was a time in India when a 2 year old boy would have said to his father – Papa, I want to be like Dhyan Chand babu. Pargat Singh, Dhyanchand, K.D. Singh Babu and the other members of the Indian hockey team were the only heroes for India. There was a time when the world knew India by 2 words – Population and Hockey. There was a time when other teams shivered standing in front of the Indian hockey team. There was a time when the final of hockey in the Olympics was called off not because of rain, not because of any technical failure, but because the finalists simply refused to play against the mighty Indians. There was a time when Adolf Hitler bowed down to team India when Germany was ruthlessly thrashed in the finals of the Olympics.