The Indian men’s hockey team has not only allowed millions of countrymen to dance by winning a medal in the Olympics after 41 years but has also given a message to the world that it can establish its reign in hockey again.

In the Olympics, where more than two hundred countries gather in one place and more than ten thousand athletes take part, the situation is not ordinary, but special.

It is not easy to mould yourself into it, then play and win. The importance of playing the semi-finals in hockey for the Indian team is not as important as winning a medal. This is a huge achievement for our men’s hockey team. This is a new beginning.

Tokyo Olympics: Medal after 41 years, Indian hockey returns

Our team has created history under the captaincy of Manpreet Singh. What can be a bigger history than this that the country which had such a big name in hockey, was away from medals for decades and then it made a comeback.

It had to happen because we have hockey in our blood. But we started playing hockey so little that hockey started having trouble.

Be it Holland, Germany, Australia, Spain, Argentina or New Zealand, hockey is being played less in comparison to these countries. And we understand that we were the kings of hockey and will continue to be so. But this is not possible without playing.

The bronze medal is more important than the silver medal in my view. When you reach the final, your medal will be confirmed either silver or gold.

Whereas the bronze medal you get by defeating the other team. The psychological significance of winning a medal by beating the other team is more.

The happiness of the countrymen is understandable because we have defeated a great team like Germany, which has won the Olympics four times. Germany is the team that, once it has taken the lead, does not allow it to break into its defence

Tokyo Olympics: Indian Hockey

The final was being held between Spain and Germany. Spain had made a head start, but Germany did not allow a goal. India has defeated the team which was the Olympic winner in 2008.

So the significance of this victory is immense. There was excitement throughout this match. In the first quarter, it looked like I didn’t know how many goals Germany would score. Whenever Germany plays India, it is not aggressive but starts very carefully.

But in this match, he took an aggressive approach from the beginning and he also got success. But little did he know that it would have a bad effect in the second, third and fourth quarters.

Due to the heavy heat and humidity, the Germans could not maintain that pace. On the other hand, our team played leisurely, like many short corners as we got, as many chances as we got, we converted them into goals. Through this strategy, we forced Germany to be on the defensive rather than on the offensive.

All the players who were in the frontline, be it Simranjit Singh, Shamsher, Hardik or Mandeep – these players have scored goals whenever they get their chance. The result was that we not only levelled the score but also took the lead and won the match.

Tokyo Olympics

There was so much pressure on Germany that they even removed their goalkeeper at the last minute. All the players in our team worked hard. Players like Sreejesh, Deepender Pal Singh are playing for more than ten years. But many players are new.

These new players will lead India to victory in the next Olympics. The next Olympics is not far away. This team combination should be maintained. This win has shown us the way forward and has shown that we can still rise in hockey if we keep our home systems in place and play as much hockey as possible.

Hockey is our own game. The game was brought by the British, but we mastered it. Ironically, the country which taught the world to play hockey is now learning to play from others.

Today people understand the importance of sports. I still remember, winning a bronze medal in 1968 was considered a stigma. We had won the bronze medal, so it was a big deal.

But today the whole country is applauding for winning bronze in hockey. Today we are progressing in all sports.

To go further, we have to make sport our culture. The Olympics teach what the culture of sport is. There is no discrimination in the person who plays in the team since childhood.

Sport can unite us all. The players of our hockey team definitely had good coordination, but their coordination was weak compared to the women’s hockey players.

Indian Hockey

Today our women’s hockey team will also fight for the bronze medal. His teamwork is better than that of the men’s team. The girls’ team’s calculations are so top grade that they never looked tired. He did his best while playing.

Maybe today he will do wonders and bring a bronze medal win for the country. These daughters of poor families are playing for the country.

So far in this Olympics, the performance of girls has been better than men. This is a big achievement and people should motivate and encourage daughters to play. Sports is a state subject.

Many state governments encourage sportspersons, while some governments do not. The central government is only promoting sports.

If state governments invest in education and sports, the picture of education and sports will change. In other countries, players are given all kinds of facilities, while in the name of sport, money is spent equal on shoes and socks. If you want a medal in the Olympics, then this attitude will not work.

Sports should be promoted in the country and awareness about sports should also be increased.