On a nippy night at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela in January, Indian men’s hockey skipper Harmanpreet Singh led his team’s lap of honour, acknowledging the unflinching support of the spectators. The joy and the cheers were misleading enough to create an impression that India had ended their 48-year-old wait for a gold at the World Cup. In reality, the hosts had just carved out a hardfought 5-2 win over South Africa to finish joint ninth with Argentina.
The disappointment notwithstanding, the followers of the sport were willing to back the team, but were the players backing themselves?
