In Rio, ushering in a new dawn

The Indian hockey team's march to the Olympic quarter-finals may be the start of something truly special

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For those who never saw the Indian hockey team rule the world in the decades gone by, Rio de Janeiro is the the most sublime they've seen it play. Two wins and two losses in the four games played so far: a mixed set of results that should not get anyone too excited or tickled pink, the neutral would dispassionately point out. Yet, for those who have seen this side finish a humiliating 12th at the London Olympics four years ago, or seen it routinely - and often embarrassingly - capitulate against the big sides, this is ground zero.

A new dawn.

Victories against Ireland and Argentina were expected to be mild examinations that India would comfortably ace. The actual questions were tougher than originally anticipated, but the Indian side managed to somehow scrape through - the hallmark of a good student who ends up writing a decent paper even when he's enduring one of those wretched off days.

Against Germany and The Netherlands, at times, they made the opposition look fairly ordinary. The ball was struck around the pitch with uncanny crispness, the interceptions at the back were speedy, and the forays into the attacking circle were replete with purpose and imagination. Against two genuine powerhouse teams, this was Indian hockey like we had never seen it before: defensively robust and thrillingly offensive.

Both the narrow 2-1 defeats, however, served as painful reminders that mere tactical acuity and impassioned desire are often not enough against the world's top sides. After the loss against Germany earlier in the week, India's Dutch coach, Roelant Oltmans, spoke about how encouraging the performance was, but also stressed on the need to find a way to win matches. Going into the quarter-finals, Oltmans' summing up couldn't be more apt.

Viren Rasquinha, former India captain who is away in Rio supporting the team, says that the improvement the team has made is obvious. "You can see the kind of work Oltmans has done, both offensively and defensively," he says. "And, Oltmans, being the master tactician he is, has got every thing spot on."

There is absolutely no denying that Oltmans always plays with a plan. In the past, Indian teams have been found terribly wanting in combating the offense of superior teams. Oltmans, more often than not, has a tactical solution to every form of opposition, and he likes to stick to it.

Against Germany, Oltmans was shrewd: he packed the midfield, often stifling the Germans for space. The opposition, for long, lived in the fear of a rampaging Indian counter-attack - several came but much to Oltmans' despair, there was no end product. Unfortunately, the coach's ingenious planning wasn't quite backed up by efficient execution. Against the Dutch, too, Oltmans made sure that his men seldom pressed high. They sat back and absorbed the Dutch pressure, a move that should have resulted in at least a draw had it not been for the shambolic wasting of so many penalty corners right at the end.

"When you reach this point in the tournament, anything can happen. They should just be looking at the quarter-final right now. Once they reach the semi-final, then it's just about one match," says Joaquim Carvalho, former Indian coach and Olympian.

There are some obvious reasons for optimism. The defence, led by Rupinder Pal Singh and V R Raghunath, has defended heroically; the midfield has ensured that the tempo in games doesn't get too frantic. Nikkin Thimmaiah and S V Sunil have terrorised opposition defences with their pace and guile. And, skipper P R Sreejesh has been outstanding in goal. Moreover, this is inarguably the fittest Indian team we have ever seen.

Starting to dream maybe a tad premature, and the old glory days still seem far away, but under Oltmans, this team has come a long way. A medal would be the start of something truly sensational.

India played Canada in their final group game on Friday evening