They were touted as the next big thing in Indian hockey and were supposed to lift the 2001 Junior Hockey World Cup without breaking a sweat. The Indian junior men’s hockey team looked well on course in Hobart, Australia, with comprehensive victories over Canada, Scotland and Spain in the first round of the tournament.
A draw against Argentina followed by a loss versus Australia, however, derailed India’s campaign. The sudden slide meant India now were faced with the tricky situation of not only beating Netherlands in their next match to stay alive in the tournament but also having to wait and watch results of the other matches to ensure their progress to the knockout stage.
“The night before the match, we sat down and were discussing the loss against Australia. A lot was being expected from us and our slump in the tournament made us feel miserable. We thought, what will we do if we lose the next match? We knew for sure, we can’t go back to India. Suddenly, we saw team members from the Netherlands and we thought, why can’t we speak to them and ask them to help us settle in their country,” remembered Deepak Thakur, a member of that team to Scroll, on the chain of events before the D-Day.
Thakur was leading scorer in the tournament with 10 goals. He had scored a double hat-trick in the tournament including in the final against Argentina, which India won 6-1.
Argentina come to India’s rescue
India were required to pump in at least four goals against the Netherlands in their do-or-die match. They managed to cross the first hurdle as they beat the Dutch 4-3 in the crucial tie. However, even the win would not have helped them had Argentina lost to mighty Australia.
“Argentina had already shocked Netherlands in their second match of round two but we wanted them to beat Australia to pave way for us to reach the semi-finals,” said the former India forward.
“Much to our relief, Argentina drew first blood when Juan Gilardi scored in the 22nd minute. Australia, however, restored parity in the 66th minute and we thought our campaign was going to get over soon as a draw would also have ended our stint in the tournament. But Juan Garreta’s strike in the 70th minute gave us new hope as Argentina had managed to upset Kookaburras and by doing so, they kept us alive in the World Cup,” added the two-time Olympian, who represented India in the Sydney and Athens Games.
As the saying goes, luck favours the brave, India did not look back from thereon and went on to beat Germany 3-2 in the semi-final before routing Argentina 6-1 in the final to clinch their maiden title.
Scrounging for lunch
They might have got instant fame and recognition after winning the trophy, but life was not that easy when they undertook the journey. Thakur and his teammates had to undergo a lot of hardships before achieving the rare feat. They not only braved the chilly Hobart weather but also struggled to get proper diet almost throughout the event.
“We were staying at a motel and I remember, we hardly got breakfast there as we used to get in India. Cornflakes and bread were the only option. Even the lunch was like peanuts. We used to get ten Australian dollars for lunch and the amount was enough only to buy pizzas,” remembered Thakur.
Luck finally seemed to have smiled at the Indian team as they managed to find an Indian restaurant in Hobart. “The only thing we used to wait for in the whole day was dinner as the restaurant owner used to serve us Indian cuisine at night.”
“Things though changed at the fag end of the tournament as India marched towards title but even that seemed insufficient given the task we had at our hand,” the player added.
Before reaching Hobart, the team stayed at Sydney to get acclimatised to the weather Down Under. They, however, received the official kit on the eve of the commencement of the tournament. “We managed with the old kit till then,” said Thakur.
Winning is the only option left for the current team
Given the facilities being provided to teams these days, Thakur firmly believed that the current India colts did not have any other option than winning the trophy.
“In our days, we never had all these facilities. These days, players have foreign coaches and technology at their disposal. They have physiotherapist to help them recover fast. Special training programmes are being designed for them for such a big event. Above all, they are playing before the home crowd. So nothing less than win could serve the purpose. It’s our golden chance to win the coveted trophy and we should win it,” said Thakur.
The Indian Oil Corporation player also opined that the current Indian team has the potential as they have got enough international exposure to face any situation.
“These players play alongside seniors. They also play with foreign stars in the Hockey India League. They know how to tackle pressure. All these qualities make them favourites and they should live up to their expectations.”
