Most of the time we have had burly defenders like Jagdev Singh giving the ball an all-mighty thwack. But converting penalty corners is not just about power. It’s also about precision and control. Jugraj Singh was the first Indian who seemed to have that as well. Sadly, he had a horrific accident and that was the end of his international career.

Later guys like Len Aiyappa, Dilip Tirkey and Sandeep Singh have tried to don the mantle of India’s penalty corner ace. Sadly, none of them have really managed to ace the task at hand.

It is also important to note the major rule change that has affected the way penalty corners have been attempted in the last decade. Players can now hit a rising shot and there is no restriction on the height attained by the ball in its flight towards goal. This has led to the innovative new style of hitting a corner called the ‘Drag-flick’. This has further increased the value of the penalty corner, provided, you have a good drag-flicker. For those who don’t, like India, the new style has created a bigger disadvantage.

For a once proud hockey nation which has touched its nadir by failing to qualify for the Olympics, this is too much of an Achilles heel. Thankfully, help is on the way in the form of junior team captain Diwakar Ram. He was the star of the show in the Asia Cup held earlier this year, where he ended as top –scorer with nine goals. And now he has added to his growing reputation by leading the junior team to a series win over world champions Argentina and that too away in Buenos Aires. The difference between the two sides was India’s victory in the first game where Diwakar got a hat trick.

We have unearthed a rare gem and now the onus is on the Indian hockey authorities to groom and nurture him. He has the correct basic drag-flick technique and regular training stints with the renowned penalty-corner coach Toon Siepman would do him a world of good. Opposition coaches are continuously studying your hitting technique and Diwakar will need all the guidance to hone his craft and be more deceptive. He will also need to add strength and stamina and that will require physical conditioning, nutrition regulation and strength and fitness training.

Fast bowling was a sore issue in Indian cricket before Kapil Dev arrived. Diwakar Ram could do the same for penalty corners in Indian hockey.

India v. Argentina

Match 1, December 8, 2008: India 3 Argentina 2
A hat-trick by Indian captain and birthday boy Diwakar Ram helped India beat Argentina 3-2 in the opening hockey test. After surviving some early bursts from Argentina in the first half, India worked themselves into great rhythm. Diwakar converted 2 penalty corners (9″ and 19″) to take India to a 2-0 lead at the break. India maintained their control over the game in the second half as Argentina conceded another penalty corner in the 55th minute which the Indian skipper put clinically in the roof of the net. A few lapses in defence allowed Argentina to score two goals in quick succession in the 64th and 67th minutes through Alan Andino and Agustin Mazzilli. India, however, held out until the final minutes as Argentina went all out in the hunt for an equaliser.

Match 2, December 10, 2008: India 1 Argentina 1
India dictated play but several squandered chances later the match ended in a draw with a goal each. India scored first through a solo by right winger Mandip Antil in the 44th minute while Argentina equalised in the 61st minute when Santiago Montelli successfully converted a penalty stroke.

Match 3, December 12, 2008: India 2 Argentina 2
India led by a solitary goal (32″ Mandip Antil) at half-time as they squandered a string of penalty corners and attacks. Gaps in India’s mid-field allowed Argentina to work their way into India’s 23-meter area with short bursts of acceleration and in the process scored two quick goals (64″ & 67″ Guido Barreiros) off penalty corners. The match seemed to have been out of India’s reach thereafter. However, a last-minute equaliser from winger Pramod Kumar saved the day for India.

Match 4, December 14, 2008: India 4 Argentina 4
India drew first blood as Danish Mujtaba scored in the seventh minute of the game, latching on to a rebound from Diwakar Ram’s trademark low drag-flick. However, Argentina immediately went into the offensive from their left flank to score three goals (13″ Lucas Colombo, 18″ & 28″ Juan Cruz Agulleiro) to lead 3-1 at half-time. But India came back strongly in the second half to put on an exhibition of great maneuvers. Not only did they wipe off the goal deficit but went into a 4-3 lead with a brace from the Indian captain Diwakar Ram (39″ & 59″) and another goal from Jay Karan (61″). However, Argentina were lucky to win a penalty corner just before the whistle and managed to equalise with a few seconds remaining.

India v. Holland

Match 1, December 13, 2008: India 3 Holland 2
India commanded proceedings in the first half with dominant midfield play and ball possession. Goals from Diwakar Ram (17″) and Mandip Antil (24″) put India 2-0 at the break. Holland were hopeful of coming back as they scored off a penalty corner in the 43rd minute reducing the margin. However, another dragflick from Diwakar Ram in the 51st minute gave India a 3-1 lead and put the match beyond Holland’s reach. A consolation goal came for Holland eventually as India gave away a soft penalty corner in the final minute.

Last month the Indian authorities refused to clear the Pakistani junior hockey team’s tour to the country for a five-match series citing security concerns. So, this decision by Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry must be appreciated.

In an attempt to inspire Indian hockey players, Dhyanchand’s daughter-in-law Dr. Meena Umesh Dhyanchand has written a personal account of the man behind the legend. The book titled Hockey ke Jadugar Major Dhyanchand: Kahani Apno ke Jubani was released by Sports Minister MS Gill today.

I can’t wait to get my hands on the book. Unfortunately, it’s not yet available in the online bookstores. I’d also like to ask IndiaAtLondon.com readers to submit titles of books on other Indian athletes so that we can compile a list and create a Books section on the site.

Update (December 1, 2008): To purchase the book online, click here.

A PTI newspiece sheds light on the issue. President of the Pakistan Hockey Federation Qasim Zia is unhappy, and rightfully so, about this last minute cancellation. The series was slated to start tomorrow at the refurbished Hockey Club of Pakistan in Karachi.

I care for Indian hockey and I love the intensity of India-Pakistan encounters but I am not the least bit interested in this series.

There are two reasons for my indifference.

One is the blatant abuse of age group norms by Indian Hockey Authorities. There would be suspicions about the real age of half the current junior side. So, what is the point, in watching a bunch of players who are past the age, where, they can be addressed as prodigious? Why should we raise false hopes of having a great crop of young players, when, in reality, the guys are not actually young

The second reason is the futility of playing a mediocre opponent. Pakistani hockey has also regressed. Their problem is similar to ours - inability to keep pace with the modern style of play. So rather then play a strong European opponent to test our true mettle, we play someone who as just as bad and will make us look good.

The only people who will actually celebrate this are the politicians - people who have been fooling the public with their half baked efforts at solving the Indo-Pak issue. They sent buses and trains and traders. Now they are sending a hockey team. That’s about it.

But this last week, for a change, there was something to feel good about - something to give me a little hope.

In fact this has reinforced my belief that god cares about sports. And he’s taking an active interest in the affairs of Indian hockey

So here’s my story of hitting rock bottom and then finding my sports faith again.

It all started after India failed to qualify for the Olympics. The IHF and its president weren’t too bothered about it but the International Hockey Federation (FIH) was. So they got Ric Charlesworth to help Indian hockey and even footed the Australian’s bill. The IHF however, treated Ric like dirt, never defining his role clearly. Ric tried hard to get a more active role - even volunteered to coach the Indians.

In the meantime, the IHF president was sacked and an ad-hoc body comprising of former players was formed under the leadership of Suresh Kalmadi.

The new committee continued its hostile approach towards Charlesworth who finally gave up and left. The IHF spared no effort in criticizing the Australian.

Then the legitimacy of this ad-hoc body became questionable as two other groups claimed to have the majority support of the state federations – and hence staked a claim to run the IHF. One of these groups happens to be led by the disgraced former president Mr KPS Gill.

The ad-hoc body meanwhile appointed MK Kaushik, in-charge of the women’s side, as the coach of the national side. Now consider this – Kaushik had been a flop in his previous stint with the national side and Indian hockey is in dire need of a fresh modern approach. This was like treating cancer with a home grown medication.

Kaushik averted this calamitous arrangement by refusing the job, saving himself some future heart burn as well.

But the IHF was not to be outdone – they were determined to find a way to sink Indian hockey further. So they went and appointed former assistant Harendra Singh. He was given a new glorified designation also – coach-in-charge. As if the former coaches were not supposed to be in charge. His selection was justified as one based on credentials and seniority – as if they were appointing a govt bureaucrat.

Then in a sudden change of policy Mr Suresh Kalmadi announced that they had decided to hire a foreign coach and Harendra Singh would be a stop gap arrangement who would give way to the foreign recruit. He said that they had discussed the matter with the FIH, who had decided to help the IHF with their search

What in the world was going on?

Hadn’t the same set of guys already driven away Ric Charlesworth – couldn’t he have been their foreign coach? He happens to be one of the finest coaches ever, was already on their rolls, was asking for the job and was working for free – his salary being paid by the FIH.

And I couldn’t believe that the FIH was actually helping them in finding a foreign coach. Hadn’t they done enough already by appointing Ric Charlesworth and giving India the right to host the 2010 Hockey World Cup .Hadn’t they learnt anything from the manner in which Ric Charlesworth was mishandled by the same set of guys? Wasn’t there enough reason to believe that helping the Indians was a futile effort? Was Mr Kalmadi bluffing that the FIH was helping them.

A few days later Ric Charlesworth was appointed as the coach of the Australian national side. Obviously the Aussies knew what Ric was capable of. Coming on the heels of the IHF’s announcement, the timing was ironical. I wish somebody could have asked one of the IHF bosses if the Aussies made the right choice

And then a couple of weeks later, on Oct 14th, the FIH actually handed over a list of 7 possible candidates. This meeting was attended by the FIH president also and the world body reiterated their desire to help India restore their lost pride. Mr Kalmadi was right. The FIH was still interested in restoring the fortunes of the game in India.

This is an amazing combination of good and bad fortune for Indian Hockey. On one hand there is the IHF – clueless about what to do and shameless about what they have done. And then there is the FIH and its Dutch president Els van Breda Vriesman who are determined to do everything to save Indian Hockey – over and over again.