Long-drawn schedule leaves teams empty-pocketed, restless

Indervir Grewal in Bhubaneswar

With over 10 teams training in one day, the 14th edition has become a tournament of training sessions. The number of teams training has even gone up to 13 on some days. The international hockey federation’s (FIH) experiment with 16 teams has been welcomed but holding just two matches per day has made the current edition the longest in World Cup’s history, spread across 19 days. The pool stage ended on Sunday after 12 days, out of which some days saw both matches being tedious. With breaks between matches lasting up to five days, the tournament has tested the patience of players and coaches alike. One of the biggest challenges for the team managements has been to keep their players physically and mentally ready for the games. Teams have kept busy by visiting temples in the city, taking daytrips to Puri, visiting schools or going saree shopping. Some have even been playing cards in their hotels to kill time, Belgium’s Arthur van Doren said. Some players, however, have used the long breaks to study for their exams. But World Cup is not an event for relaxing. Teams have been asking for extra training sessions. But waiting and preparing without seeing any action for long periods also led to restlessness. Having qualified directly for the quarterfinals, India’s next match will be on December 13, four days after their match against Canada.