CWG 2022: There are 8 Olympic gold medals in the account but not a single Commonwealth gold medal… will history be maintained this time?

in the last four years Indian hockey team It has progressed a lot. Last year itself, the Olympic medal has come in his account after a long gap of 41 years. Which he won by defeating Germany at the Tokyo Olympics. After this, the Indian team also won the bronze medal in the Asia Cup. But when the Indian team starts its campaign in Birmingham, then the failure of the Commonwealth Games will definitely be in its mind. In 2018, the Indian team missed the podium finish. With the loss to England, his hopes of winning the bronze medal were shattered. Indian team’s record in Commonwealth Games is not very good anyway. The Indian team which has won gold medals in Olympics, Asian Games and World Cup does not have Commonwealth Games gold medal in its account. She had come close to it in 2010 and 2014 but the success did not come. This time the Indian team is in Pool B in the Commonwealth Games. Where there are also teams like England and Canada. There will also be teams like Australia and New Zealand in the challenges ahead.

Indian team missed the podium finish in 2018

In 2018, the Indian team returned empty handed from the Commonwealth Games. The coach of the Indian men’s team at that time was Sured Marinye. Earlier he used to be the coach of the Indian women’s team. Before he was appointed, Hockey India had removed legendary coach Roelant Altmans. This was the period when there was an atmosphere of uncertainty regarding the coach of the hockey team. Every day the coach used to be blamed. Well, the training of Sure Marineye did not have much effect. The Indian team looked sluggish in the field, apart from its old problem of not being able to convert a penalty corner into a goal was also exposed. The result of this was that the Indian team could not decide the way ahead of the semi-finals. There was a lot of squabbles after this defeat. There are many players in the current Indian team who will remember that defeat.

Coach Graham Reid showed the road to success

A few months after returning empty handed from the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Graham Reid was appointed the coach of the Indian team. Former Australian player Graham Reid was an Olympic medalist. He understood the team. Showed the right path to the players. He was also given time to prove his strategies right. Its advantage has also been shown in recent times. Otherwise, history is witness that the coach of the Indian hockey team used to change one and a half or two years before the Olympics. Names like Terry Walsh, Rick Charlesworth, Michael Knobbs and Gerhard Rake are included in this list. Anyone can be to blame for this change. But the loss was always with the team. By the time the new coach connects with the team, understands the strengths and weaknesses of the players, makes a strategy according to their game, it is too late. It was time for him to leave. The 2022 Commonwealth Games are different in this respect. The players are united under the supervision of Graham Reid. He also has to reach the podium this time where the team has not reached till now.