Indian’s hockey latest bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday is a lot more precious than the 1975 World Cup win, insists former India captain Ashok Kumar, son of hockey wizard Dhyan Chand.
Ashok Kumar. Pic/Nimesh Dave
A first-place finish is considered better than third in most sporting contexts. But Indian’s hockey latest bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday is a lot more precious than the 1975 World Cup win, insists former India captain Ashok Kumar, son of hockey wizard Dhyan Chand.
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Ashok, a two-time Olympian, scored the match-winner as India beat arch-rivals Pakistan 2-1 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to win its first and only hockey World Cup title. “I have an Olympic bronze medal [1972 Munich Games], so I know its significance, but that was way back.
‘Extra special’
“Hockey has changed a lot since. And this bronze medal in Tokyo is extra special given India’s mercurial rise in this fast-paced world of modern hockey. That’s why I feel this bronze medal is bigger than our World Cup title,” Ashok Kumar, 71, told mid-day from his home in Delhi yesterday.
Interestingly, Ashok Kumar found similarities between that World Cup final and India’s 5-4 win over Germany in the bronze-medal match at Tokyo. “We conceded a goal first in that final and here too India went behind 0-1 to Germany. Some of our shoulders dropped after we conceded against the Pakistanis and similarly in Tokyo, a few defensive errors led to India going down 1-3. It took some spirited hockey to bounce back, both in Kuala Lumpur and Thursday in Tokyo,” explained Ashok Kumar.
The stylish striker is most thrilled about the publicity the current hockey team are receiving.
Media coverage
“During our time, there was not much media coverage because there was just one TV channel, Doordarshan. But today, there are so many TV channels and each one is talking about this bronze medal win which is so heartening to see. These boys deserve every bit of success and adulation they get. They have made every Indian proud,” he signed off.
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