Mediocre show by men's team irks Narinder Batra, Hockey India

IOA chief seeks explanation from HIBENGALURU: The Indian hockey team, which won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics last year, looks a pale shadow of the gritty team which fought its way to the podium. Post the glory senior players like Rupinder Pal Singh and Birendra Lakra decided to hang up their boots, making way for more juniors. With the podium finish, the expectations from the team have soared and on that count the team has faltered.

Currently ranked fourth in the world, defending champions India lost to Japan 3-5 in the semifinals of the Asian Champions Trophy in December last year. Beginning their season in the FIH Pro League in South Africa this month, India after getting past the hosts, faced France. A 5-0 win against the Frenchmen was followed by a 2-5 shock loss on Saturday to the team ranked 11th in the world.

The recent performances of Manpreet Singh & Co has not gone down well with Narinder Batra, president of the Indian Olympic Association and the former chief of Hockey India. In a scathing message to HI president Gyanendro Ningombam, secretary-general Rajinder Singh and Elena Norma, the CEO, Batra termed the team's performances 'not at all acceptable. 'In the message, accessed by TOI, Batra stated, "I have serious concerns about the way the Indian men's hockey team has performed after the Tokyo bronze medal in Bangladesh (Asian Champions Trophy) and now in South Africa (FIH Pro League).