The Indian hockey team is extremely proud to have climbed up one spot to secure the fourth position in the world, following the Men’s FIH Hockey World League. Surely, it’s not for a short while. It’s to be noted that this is by far the highest spot that Indian hockey team has secured since the inception of the world rankings in the year 2003.
What has become of our national game?
India used to show the best field hockey, back in the golden days and used to demonstrate dominance in all formats of the game. Though our style of playing hockey was developed on clay or grass field, we now appear prostrated before the hockey-playing countries on Astroturf. Now, it has to accept its position beneath Belgium, Australia and the Netherlands.
In my opinion, Indian hockey players are struggling with their form. They are not oblivious of the fact that they used to be moving on the field during the yesteryears. Once again, when they’ll excel in their playing style, their prestige will come to be unmistakable, easy and eminently feasible. It has definitely got nothing to do with the present league rankings, and that’s why the direction for the pursuit of better outcomes given by their instructors from time to time seems essential. The players may be thinking about Adam’s Apple (2005): “If we listened to reason, the world would be a gloomy place to live.”
The first three rounds of the second of Federation Internationale de Hockey Pro League has brought our country to the fourth position in the rankings. Precisely, its climb comes after Argentina getting the fifth position. It looks unusual as the top-three teams are still at their respective positions to a fine display of their game. It is apt to say that the number of points was exchanged on the basis of three levels: match results, relative ranking and, lastly, the importance of the match.
Now, enforcing the fresh criterion since January for evaluating the FIH world rankings, the federation has established a flexible formula to make the choice of the best squads. The previous tournament-based ranking system is a thing of the past now. The federation has enacted a match-based model where rival teams exchange points in the official.