The pain of not going past the quarterfinals in 2018 is still there inside Harendra, and it flared up when he witnessed India giving it away in the crossover match on January 22 this time and succumbing to the pressure exerted by New Zealand, who held their nerve better in the sudden death shootout to win 5-4 and push India out of title contention.Harendra, who lives in California currently, was critical of what he saw from the stands of the Kalinga Stadium.
India let a two-goal advantage slip twice when leading 2-0 and 3-1, which allowed the Black Sticks to not just come back but also wrest control of the game before entering the quarterfinals.
Hockey World Cup: All that went wrong for India Talking to TimesofIndia.com for an in-depth analysis of India's sorry campaign, Harendra raised some razor-sharp questions.Excerpts:How does it feel to be back on home soil and especially Bhubaneswar where you have made a lot of memories?It's a privilege to be back here at this iconic (Kalinga) stadium.
Any coach that comes here gets the goosebumps because people here know their hockey.How long has it been since your last visit here?After 2018, it's my first time here.