A few former India stars, several wannabes and a handful of juniors crowned World champions in this very city six months ago – the men’s National hockey championship here would have them all in action as the tournament enters its business end with the quarterfinals on Thursday.
As the Hockey India League (HIL) keeps growing both in terms of competition and its importance in identifying new talent, the national championships have been relegated further into the background. While it continues to draw teams and institutions from across the country — with almost 400 players in the A Division and almost 700 in the B Division participating — the level of competition has lessened.
“It’s true that both the level and prestige of this tournament has gone down. For us, it's both an advertisement for the bank itself in terms of participation of the team and also a matter of prestige if we win the trophy. But other than that, there is little at stake,” admitted former India coach and now in charge of Punjab and Sind Bank side Rajinder Singh.
A team like Petroleum Sports Promotion Board, who win the B Division, had to hardly exert itself all through, having players in its line-up who on their day could easily win matches for the national side single-handedly. With most of them including Devinder Walmiki, VR Raghunath and Tushar Khandker having well-playing jobs with various PSU oil companies, there was little to fight for except a promotion to the higher group, which they did.
In the A Division currently on, a team like Air India boasts of the likes of Arjun Halappa, Adrian D'Souza, VS Vinaya and Shivendra Singh, all veterans of international duty. Punjab is being led by Gurbaj Singh and includes Dharamvir Singh, Gurjant Singh, Sarvanjit Singh and Gurvinder Singh Chandi. None of them are desperate for a job, the lone incentive for some of the youngsters.
“A core group has already been made for the senior side. Another is finalised for the juniors, which means at least 66-70 good players are gone. There are selectors here watching these games but with no hope of any change in the core group, it is up to Hockey India to decide what role the nationals actually play in their scheme of things,” a senior player admitted.
Rajinder claimed that even the job incentive was not big now. “Anyone who has to recruit a player watches them in action and picks up on their own. Some of our players were selected from our own academy and some from the inter-university games. The certificate of having played a national championship doesn't hold much value now,” he admitted.
Another coach, refusing to be named, said that nationals were being held simply as a formality because they are imperative for government recognition and funds. “There is no serious thought being given to this tournament,” he added.
Hockey India High Performance Director David John had already clarified earlier that regardless of performances, players like Dharamvir and Yuvraj Walmiki would not be considered for inclusion into the core group, at least for this year. A development side for juniors who have not made the cut for the senior camp would be ideal and chief coach Roelant Oltmans has insisted it has been on the radar for quite some time now but nothing has happened so far, awaiting approvals from the government agencies including SAI.
“Otherwise, those juniors who won the World Cup here but are not in the scheme of things for the seniors would be lost to the country, left to play only on the domestic circuit,” warned Rajinder.
