Just as we remember 25th June 1983, 29th July 1980 is a day to remember for Hockey fans – the day India won Gold in Men’s Hockey in Moscow Onlympics. The team under V Baskaran's leadership then, stood like a rock when Spain's rampaging Juan Amat had lurked the defence line in the last ten minutes as he almost pulled off parity. Back home, this week, there was reason to celebrate as India played with intensity and imagination, seldom allowing their opponents any foothold in the match. The celebrations that ensued were understandably wild. Gurjant Singh would have lived the scenario several times in his dreams: a World Cup final, the crowd cheering him, and he beating the goalkeeper with a fierce hit. But even in his dreams, the 21-year-old wouldn’t have executed it with such precision. Varun Kumar, the scorer of India’s first goal in the junior World Cup, spotted an idle Gurjant near the Belgian ‘D’. You could have forgiven the European side for assuming it was harmless to leave Gurjant unmarked. It isn’t India’s style, after all, to play long, aerial balls. But this Indian style has ditched several old ways. And the Belgians would realize that the hard way. That Varun dared to play the lobbed ball – that traveled half the length of the field from right to left – was a surprise in itself. Belgian defenders were caught off guard and they failed to control it. Gurjant was the first to reach. He controlled the wobbling ball with the two deft touches and took it away from the defenders. To close Gurjant’s angle, Belgium goalkeeper Loic van Doren charged towards him. Gurjant looked up, saw the tournament’s best goalkeeper running towards him, then spotted faintest of gaps between him at the post, and from an acute angle, unleashed a reverse hit that flew past Van Doren. It was one of the finest goals of the tournament, if not the finest. And it couldn’t have come at a more crucial moment. That goal, in the 8th minute, changed how the final would be played. India beat Belgium to be crowned as Champion. The 2016 Men's Hockey Junior World Cup was the 11th edition of the Hockey Junior World Cup held in Lucknow, India from 8–18 December 2016. It certainly was the hardwork and unity as a team that got them there – and there were many sacrifices too, writes Indian Express.
Hockey fans should relisht he golden moments of Indian hockey rather than recalling that one humiliating loss killed the backbone taking away the fanfare and following for the game – that dark day of Dec 1982 when the whole Nation sat before TV sets watching Indo Pak game in the finals of Delhi Asiad – and sadly, team lost badly. In the 1982 Asian Games final, India met with arch rivals Pakistan. Back then, hockey, like cricket later, was the symbol of Indian pride. In a country deprived of sporting glory, the legend of hockey was the perfect metaphor for a country trying to hold its head high on the world stage. Its stars, Zafar Iqbal and Mohammad Shahid, were extensions of India's honor. India raced to the finals, decimating every opponent by huge margins in the group stage, scoring 37 goals and conceding just one. The team's performance on home ground, the euphoria of holding a successful Games and of winning 13 gold medals, gave Indians the hope that a win in the hockey finals, by beating Pakistan, would be the crowning glory. It was not to be. After scoring the first goal through a penalty stroke and triggering raucous premature celebrations across the country, India lost 1-7 to Pakistan, whose forwards attacked the Indian half like a cavalry on a roll. The prime minister, stunned by the humiliation, left midway; fans started crying and the mood quickly turned funereal. That day, stoves were not lit in many Indian households. Indian Express now adds that at Lucknow, it became obvious that Indians still love their hockey. On the day of the final, Lucknow's Dhyan Chand Stadium was spilling over with spectators. "It was a record turnout for a junior World Cup match, forcing the organisers to open sections of the stadium which were covered until Sunday, for the fear that everyone may not accommodated. They could’ve built a couple of more tiers and still run short of space to accommodate people." That Indian hockey is on the upswing is apparent. Over the past few years, the Indian team has eclipsed all its Asian rivals, racing ahead of Pakistan, demolishing Malaysia and South Korea, who after the highs of the 80s and the 90s appear to be in terminal decline. The junior team's victory could well be the big-bang moment just as 1983 WC win was for Cricket. This is a team that can dominate the kind of hockey that is played on astro-turf with its fast, relentless attacks that come in unending waves and score from unexpected angles and positions. The good news for Indian hockey is that some of these players would soon replace the ageing players in the senior team and give a new push to India's quest for glory. Could we see the resurgence ~ Happy days are back again for Indian Hockey Regards – S. Sampathkumar 20th Dec 2016.