On Wednesday, hockey legend Ashok Kumar noted that the momentum the Indian men's team built up for the Olympics might be hard to sustain after the postponement. Drawing from his own experience as a Munich Olympics bronze medalist and a key player in 1975, Kumar wondered if the current squad, led by Manpreet Singh, could maintain the same brilliance they showed during their stellar 2019 run once the Games finally take place next year.
In an exclusive interview with PTI, Ashok Kumar—the hero of the 1975 World Cup final against Pakistan—remarked that India was in a prime position to secure a medal had the Olympics occurred this year, given their rapid progress. He emphasized that the forced hiatus inevitably breaks the team's flow, which could alter the eventual results, even if a specific outcome remains uncertain.
India showed they could compete with the elite, securing a gritty 2-1 victory over top-ranked Belgium in the Pro League and fighting to a 2-2 draw against a powerhouse Australian side just before the pandemic halted global sports. Kumar also pointed out that the women's national team was in peak physical condition and likely would have delivered a strong performance had the schedule remained unchanged.
Kumar noted that the team's ultimate performance will be a major talking point long after the Olympics conclude. He also speculated that head coach Graham Reid has likely had to scrap his original strategy and draft a new blueprint due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. According to Kumar, Reid now faces the challenge of tracking player progress without the benefit of real-game competition, relying instead on indoor training, which makes it much harder for the coaching staff to accurately evaluate the squad's readiness.