Rani Rampal’s mercenaries revel in much-deserved spotlight; Indian men's team underline potential

Sundeep Misra


Women's captain Rani Rampal celebrates after scoring the decisive goal to seal India's berth for Tokyo Olympics 2020. Image courtesy: Twitter @TheHockeyIndia

In a sense, it was a team’s re-making; without casting off the senior talent for younger legs. It’s not the men’s hockey team one is talking about. Rather, a team that plays in the shadows, like they were afraid of the spotlight – they win consistently, had a strong run last year, even made it to the World Cup quarter-finals, where they lost a close game, gave interviews late night at airport arrival terminals – and then slipped back into the shadows.