Thirty two years for a gold medal is a long, long wait. But the win when it did come this evening after so much tension was well worth it and the team that played its heart out against a supremely fit South Korean side deserved every bit of the glory. It is a moment of great pride and something worth cherishing for all lovers of Indian hockey.The Queen Sirikit Stadium here in Bangkok looked like a mini India with so many Indian supporters turning out to cheer our boys. And I am sure they will celebrate this memorable win late into the night.Both teams got an equal number of chances - seven in all in the regulation period - and both sides converted one each. The match was played at a furious pace, but I must confess it was not hockey of the class I would have expected from either side. Perhaps because it was the final and they have played each other so many times that they know each other's tactics well.Dhanraj Pillay, who got the equaliser off a penalty corner rebound, has now joined the list ofelite Indian hockey captains who have won a major gold medal at Asian, Olympic Games or World Cup. I am happy to have witnessed this great moment, which is the first major gold medal since we last won the Olympic gold in 1980 and before that the 1975 World Cup, in which I had the privilege of being the captain of India.The Koreans were impressive at the start of the game and as usual the Indian team took a lot of time to settle down. By the time they did, the Koreans had taken the lead. The only area where I have never seen the Koreans faltering was their penalty corner conversion rate. They have a high success rate and are normally cool, but today they seemed flustered and often out of ideas. This worked in the favour of the Indians and they slowly worked themselves back into the game in the second half.Though the entire Indian team deserves praise for their efforts, my man of the match would be Ashish Ballal who saved two penalty strokes.This win was long overdue for India and I hope it gives thegame of hockey the boost it deserves.Yesterday I watch the women do the country proud with a brilliant display even though they lost to Korea by a narrow 1-2 margin. But it seems the men avenged that loss.Finally, I hope this win does not make us complacent and we begin our preparations right away and attempt to get back to Olympic medal podium.- (R & R Sports Management)
