National Game of India
National Game of India - Hockey - Despite the ever-growing popularity of
cricket, Hockey has managed to still be the National Game of India.
The peak time of Indian hockey team was from 1928 to 1956, when it brought all the
six consecutive Olympic gold medals home that were held during those years. The
end of its glory were perhaps the result of the death of the star hero Dhyan Chand,
the introduction of Astroturf (still a rarity in India) and the migration of many
hockey-playing Anglo Indians to Australia. Recently, the few wins have rekindled
the interest of the Indians in the forgotten game and have managed to grab a little
bit of attention to the hockey sport team starts such as Dhanraj Pillay.
Hockey was chosen as the National Game because of the team's unparalleled
distinction and matchless talent at the time. During the phase, India had played
24 Olympic matches and won all of them scoring 178 goals and conceding only 7 goals.
The only other achievements of the team later that are worth mentioning are the
gold medal in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the gold medal in the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
The black magic Indian touch and their ball juggling feats have become almost extinct
now. Perhaps we need better coaches, more finances and facilities and more practice
on Astroturf, which has a faster surface than the grass, where Indians have to practice.
It will be a good idea to train the talented children in hockey right from school
level, providing them the necessary funds, training and facilities to preserve the
Indian glory.