The Noise that drowned the Dhyan Chand stadium at the capital never sounded so sweet before and the floodlights that drenched the stadium faded in comparision to the light in which Indian hockey found itself tonight. Our national game had once again achieved its rightful place. Indian hockey had finally erased the ignominy of not qualifying for the Beijing and had earned its right to fly to London, the hosts of the 2012 Olympics.
Even as the countdown began for the final hooter, thousands of hands applauded the feat, fans who have been waiting for this moment for long, stood there and screamed their lungs out, the national flags fluttered under the night sky.
It is quite an irony that the victory came on a day when many many miles away, the Indian cricket team had laid down their weapons once again against an emerging Australia, the pain and shame of the disastrous tour written on their face. While on one hand, some stars fell, at Dhyan Chand Stadium many new heros were born, where on one hand a game followed like a national game plunged into further shame, the actual 'national game' was once again finding its foot in the world of sport, where cricketers were finding ways to escape the limelight, Michael Nobb's boys were basking in their new found glory.
For many in this Indian team, this win will put to rest the 'nightmare at Santiago' four years ago, for many it will be the answer to their prayers over the years and for many it will a day when they found their long due. But nevertheless for everybody it will be a day of pride, a day that would stay enveloped in the corner of their mind forever.
Of course, many would argue that for a country that taught hockey to the world and have been the Olympics champion eight times, qualifying for the event shouldn't arose so much emotions but one shouldn't forget the condition in which, the game had found itself after their 2008 disaster.
It wouldn't be wrong to say that perhaps hockey in India would have died a silent death, unmourned and unheard and this win has actually given a new lease of life to the game which had been catapult to the international arena by none other than our own major Dhyan Chand.
India can still come a cropper against the mighty teams such as Australia, Holland and Germany, who in the last three decades have galloped away too far but at least this win has given a ray of hope to a lot of future hockeyroos who otherwise would have picked up a racket or a bat instead of a stick. This win has shown as coach Nobbs very rightly puts it "that this team is worthy of admiration and respect of the people of India."
