A welcome victory

It is heartening to see Indian teams recording unlikely wins in hockey and football in recent times. Written off after pathetic performances in the recent past, the young lads in the hockey team have put up a splendid performance at the Asia Cup. They haven't just won, but have walked the field like kings, decimating all opponents. The coach must get the credit for moulding a fighting outfit out of talented youngsters. Thrashing S. Korea 7-2 was icing on the cake. Without being carried away, hope this brings better days for Indian hockey. Ofcourse, with harebrained administrators ruling the roost, danger is always around the corner. Just after one of India' s big victories in the tournament, Mr. KPS Gill, who knows as much about hockey as Dhanraj Pillay knows about managing the police affairs, declares a wierd scheme of rewarding the Indian team with cash prize for each goal scored and penalizing them monetarily for every goal conceded. Whew!

The football win in the Nehru Cup might not have been that emphatic, neither was the quality of the opposition great. But, the state of affairs is so bad that even this victory was not expected. So, the team deserves kudos for their efforts. Atleast this should put the spotlight back on a neglected sport and make sure we continue to improve steadily.