Sawt Falasteen - Indian hockey back on 'road to gold' after years in the wilderness

Once the undisputed kings of field hockey, winning a record eight Olympic gold medals, India are targeting a return to their glory days bolstered by a string of recent successes after decades in the wilderness.

Demanding task master Fulton, a South African, is putting the players through the wringer in the heat and humidity of the southern Indian city, where both men's and women's national squads are training.

India's men, under Fulton, are targeting victory the World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium next month, a trophy they last lifted in 1975.

After that, it is on to Japan to defend their Asian Games gold, which would secure qualification for the 2028 Olympics.

The women's team are looking to improve on the bronze they secured at the last Asian Games, coached by Dutch former player Sjoerd Marijne.

The players may not be under the same harsh spotlight as the country's cricketers, but the men were no less revered when they won six consecutive hockey gold medals between 1928 and 1956 and two more in 1964 and 1980.

In Los Angeles, India's men will seek to turn back-to-back bronzes from the Tokyo and Paris Games into their first gold for almost half a century.

Men's captain Harmanpreet Singh, 30, believes the foundations are in place for a return to the top step of the Olympic podium after their bronze in Paris two years ago.

"It was a turning point no doubt," Harmanpreet told AFP of the team's second consecutive Olympic bronze. "This was a big achievement for us.

"I believe we are on track. Of course we have won bronze medals but we believe we can do better.

"The road to gold won't be easy in the World Cup or the Olympics, but we are in good shape."

- Great expectation -

Coach Fulton says expectations are high, but can be a burden, in a country which has an unrivalled golden history. Germany are the next most successful Olympic hockey nation with four golds.

"Every time India take the field they're supposed to win and continue that tradition of gold medals and it's not that easy," Fulton told AFP.

"At the top level there's really six or seven teams that can beat each other, so there's lots to play for."

India's progress has been built on a core group of players led by Harmanpreet, one of the modern game's most feared penalty-corner specialists, and midfielder Hardik Singh.

Confidence is high in the camp after recent results such as two wins over arch-rivals Pakistan, one of them by a crushing 7-1 margin, in the FIH Pro League in London.

India have also enjoyed victories against current world champions Germany and Olympic champions the Netherlands.

"Every nation has a time and I believe India has arrived in the last three to four years," said the 27-year-old Hardik.

"We have done well in big events and our era will be back.

"I think this is one of India's best squads that I have seen in the last few years. There is a hunger to become world champions."

- Hockey is back -

India and Pakistan players shook hands at the end of their recent matches, a contrast with India and Pakistan's cricketers at the T20 World Cup earlier this year.

Last year an attack in Indian Kashmir killed 26 people, with Delhi blaming the attack on militants backed by Pakistan, a charge that Islamabad denies.

Relations in the cricket field have been frosty since, but Harmanpreet played down attaching any significance to the hockey handshakes.

"It wasn't planned or anything," he said.

"We have always shaken hands whenever we have played against each other.

"Respect is both ways. I feel the result matters and we were focusing on that more than on the handshake."

Until the 1980s, packed stadiums regularly greeted India's hockey teams.

But cricket's growth, along with the emergence of the Indian Premier League, has transformed the country's sporting landscape.

Women's captain Salima Tete believes the recent successes can help hockey regain some of its lost ground.

"Everyone knows about the cricketers, but hockey is slowly getting back its due and it serves as a motivation," she said.

"There is no comparison, but we would like to make a mark with our performances. Play freely and with pride as an Indian national player."

I.Matar--SF-PST