Indian hockey team wins Asia Cup, 2007!

Is it the Chak De India effect?  It has been a while since India has won a tournament so emphatically!  In the recently concluded Asia Cup 2007, India not only equalled a record by defeating Sri Lanka by 20 – 0 , it even won the finals against South Korea – against whom they could not even compete properly not too long ago – by 7-2.

Well, India also defeated Thailand 16-0, and Japan 4-1 on the way to the finals!  It is as if the team was in one heck of a scoring mode!

The last time the Indian forwards were in such punishing mood was in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics when India defeated US by 24-1!  But that was the era of Dhyan Chand.  Is this the revival of Indian hockey?  I hope so.  It has been a sport which has been close to my heart!  My grand-father was one of the founding members of the Jawahar lal Nehru Hockey tournament and I have spent many a summers going to watch hockey matches in Shivaji Stadium!  It used to be a treat to do that!