Hockey deserves the same status as cricket

ANDHERI: After the 6-1series win against Srilanka, the advertising industry has found a new star in the form of Indian wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Advertisers are chasing him to make him their brand ambassador. I wonder if Indian hockey will ever meet the same fate, where till now, even the senior most players are neglected by the advertising industry.

Indian hockey has produced stars like Dhyanchand, Balbir Singh, Ajit Pal Singh, Dhanraj Pillay and many others, but still the sport is unable to garner the popularity which cricket has always enjoyed.
It is not that Indian hockey players are not talented, but talent without opportunity is like a boat on dry land. Hockey players must get the opportunity to play with the trained teams, to compete at the higher levels and to learn new techniques from the experts.

There is a vast difference in the infrastructure developed for cricket and for hockey. Despite being the national game, we hardly have enough hockey stadiums of international standards. If the national game is to be promoted, the number of hockey stadiums in every city must increase. Even schools must make efforts to promote the game by developing hockey teams and giving the players exposure to state or even local clubs.

In India, hockey players are not highlighted by the media, unlike cricket where even a debutant gets a lot of public attention. It is the Indian Hockey Federation's (IHF's) responsibility to bring in more corporates to sponsor the game. Even our hockey team has players, who could endorse the products, if given the opportunity.

The IHF must allow the players to interact with the media, so that people know and relate to them. 
The IHF must make efforts to bring in transparency and professionalism in management, training and infrastructure. They should also promote various tournaments like the Premier Hockey League (PHL).

If this were to happen, the day is not far away when we see hockey players attaining respect for their work and committment to the sport. One could happily think that the good days of Indian hockey are finally back again.