Caught in 'experimentation' trap, is Indian hockey losing the chance to rebuild its legacy after Tokyo Olympics high?
Indian hockey, the script has been differently written since the 1980 Moscow Games. India's Olympic hockey legacy in an unmatched feat spread across eight gold medals. But it's also one that had gathered dust over decades and is littered with rare triumphs, occasional near misses, frustrating mediocrity and the nadir of wooden spoons -- until the Tokyo Olympics arrived. The team in Tokyo, like many of its predecessors since 1980, had to blow that dust off history pages in search of inspiration. It happened, and the effort resulted in a podium finish -- a bronze medal after a 41-year wait. With that medal came an opportunity -- an opportunity to become ruthless on the field, an opportunity to woo back the fans who were once again talking about hockey, an opportunity to manure the sport and help it grow like in the distant past, an opportunity to revive the legacy. But what has followed is over-experimentation and lack of transparency.
