Kolkata: After having surrendered supremacy in hockey to Pakistan in Rome Olympics in 1960, India soon turned the tide in their favour by snatching the gold in the very next Olympics four years later in Tokyo. The man who spearheaded the Indian challenge in Tokyo was Gurbux Singh, who is hale and hearty at 86, thinks India have a good chance of a podium finish this time.
“India have a good chance this time as they have a balanced squad. But it all depends on a particular day. On a given day, the team that plays better will win. I was watching a match between Germany and Belgium. Belgium is a much better side, but they could hardly do anything. The same thing was repeated in the Australia vs Argentina match. Australia stood much ahead of Argentina, but the result didn't reflect that,” Singh told ETV Bharat during an interaction.
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Despite being in the frontline for a long time, Gurbux Singh never played in a World Cup. The perennial showpiece came into existence in 1971, a good three years after the Octogenarian hung up his boots. However, the former stalwart felt that Harmanpreet Singh's wards have enough firepower to get the better of others in the ongoing World Cup and bring the cup which India last won exactly 47 years ago.
India last won the World Cup in 1975 after falling one short in the earlier edition. “I hope and pray that India would go on to finish at least on the podium this time because we got the bronze in 1971 followed by a silver in 1973 and then the winners in 1975...but since then, we have won nothing in the world stage,” Singh said with a bit of complaint in his voice.
The captain of the Indian hockey team back in 1964 when India won the gold in the Olympics felt that the 1964 Olympic journey is the most memorable for him and many others as India could snatch the gold from Pakistan. “We lost in the 1960 Rome Olympics, in which I was a member of the Indian side. So in the next edition of the Olympics, we managed to pull the plugs and finished on top. This was a great achievement in the history of Indian hockey, particularly for the fact that we brought back the glory we somehow lost in Rome,” a proud Singh said from Gurgaon over the telephone.
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Talking about the changes in the game, Gurbux Singh said that the game has undergone radical changes thanks to rule alterations and the mindset to play the game.
If Singh is to be believed, the game was more of technique than power and stamina as it is today. “It was more technical in our time, but with the change of turf and several rules, India have lagged behind thereafter. Now the game demands more power and stamina. The skills and techniques have taken a backseat,” Singh signed off.
