Poor Cousins

Indian hockey’s misfortune is that around the time fans realised it had slipped, colour TV came to India and Indian cricketers won their first and only World Cup. In a country that worships only international victories, the early ’80s decisively put cricket ahead of hockey in mainstream consciousness. Hockey remained impoverished. Some players have said that on overseas tour they eat outside the hotel—with their daily allowance of Rs 1,000, they can only afford cheap food. But Indian hockey has survived the decay, and the abuse. Its time has come. Again.