It has been greater than half a century since India, in both the boys’s or ladies’s occasion, matched their best-ever displaying on the Hockey World Cup. This 12 months, each groups failed to succeed in the semi-finals, triggering pointed questions from two of the nation’s most revered former gamers. Whereas PR Sreejesh demanded accountability, Viren Rasquinha warned {that a} medal on the upcoming Asian Video games may merely paper over deeper issues.
The Indian males’s crew, which received three consecutive World Cup medals between 1971 and 1975, together with the historic gold in 1975, noticed its marketing campaign unravel within the second spherical. India misplaced 1-3 to the Netherlands earlier than struggling a 3-5 defeat to Argentina, ending their hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
The ladies’s crew, in the meantime, put up a decided battle in opposition to Australia of their must-win remaining match, holding the Hockeyroos to a goalless draw. However with Australia needing solely a draw to progress, India’s World Cup marketing campaign additionally got here to an finish.
Sreejesh questioned whether or not India are constructing a crew that may merely play engaging hockey or one able to beating the world’s greatest.
“Right here’s the uncomfortable query: Are we constructing a crew to play good hockey, or a crew able to successful in opposition to the perfect on the planet?” Sreejesh wrote on X.
The 2-time Olympic bronze medallist additionally took purpose on the repeated tendency to painting disappointing leads to main tournaments as a part of the training course of.
“Cease hiding behind ‘studying’, ‘good hockey’ and future tournaments. The World Cup is just not a rehearsal. It’s the World Cup,” he wrote.
“So who’s going to ask the troublesome questions? Who’s going to demand accountability? And most significantly… Does anybody truly care?”
Questions in regards to the Indian crew had already surfaced throughout the 2025/26 Professional League, by which they completed eighth amongst 9 groups. India managed simply 4 wins from 16 matches, ending solely above Pakistan.
Sreejesh was significantly unwilling to simply accept the argument that the upcoming Asian Video games ought to soften the evaluation of what occurred on the World Cup.
“Don’t fear… the World Cup doesn’t matter. The Asian Video games are coming. Win a medal there, after which we will begin dreaming about LA 2028. Apparently, that’s sufficient to cowl all the pieces that went unsuitable on the World Cup,” he wrote.
Rasquinha, the previous India captain and Olympic Gold Quest CEO, raised the same concern in his social media publish, pointing to the broader struggles of Asian hockey on the World Cup.
India had been the one Asian aspect to advance to the second spherical. Pakistan, Malaysia and Japan didn’t win a single match on the event.
“My fear is that agold medal for India at AG will paper over quite a lot of cracks in Indian Males’s [hockey],” Rasquinha wrote on X.
He referred to as for “severe introspection” after the Asian Video games, particularly figuring out health, choice, ways and squad depth as areas that want consideration.
Sreejesh additionally questioned the completely different requirements typically utilized to India’s outcomes.
“Males’s crew loses to a prime crew — ‘It’s a studying expertise.’ Beats an Asian crew — ‘Nice victory.’ Performs good hockey — ‘Good efficiency,’” he wrote.
His frustration additionally prolonged to India ladies’s chief coach Sjoerd Marijne, who was reportedly away from the crew throughout the remaining part of their World Cup preparations.
“Girls’s chief coach on vacation simply earlier than the World Cup — and the women nonetheless fought their hearts out and exceeded expectations. Credit score to the gamers. However the place is the accountability?” Sreejesh wrote.
“Do we actually anticipate a crew to carry out at its greatest when the chief coach is away throughout the remaining part of preparation?”
The Asian Video games start subsequent month in Japan, the place India’s males will defend the title they received for a record-equalling fourth time on the 2022 version. The ladies received bronze in the identical event. Each Indian groups have received medals at every of the final three Asian Video games.
