Two-time Olympic bronze medallist and former India goalkeeper P. R. Sreejesh has questioned the Indian hockey management’s approach after both the men’s and women’s teams failed to reach the semifinals of their respective World Cups.The men’s campaign ended on Monday with a 3-5 defeat against Argentina at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands. The loss meant India will now feature in the seventh-place classification match against Belgium.India had already seen their hopes of a podium finish severely dented after a 1-3 defeat to co-hosts Netherlands on Saturday. Against Argentina, they needed a win to keep their semifinal hopes alive but were undone by defensive lapses and an inability to convert their opportunities.Argentina struck just 36 seconds into the contest when Joaquin Toscani capitalised on an error from Jarmanpreet Singh, who failed to intercept a ball across the goalmouth. Nicolas della Torre then doubled Argentina’s lead in the sixth minute from their second penalty corner.Sukhjeet Singh pulled one back in the 10th minute, but India could not build on the momentum despite creating opportunities. Tomas Domene restored Argentina’s two-goal advantage in the 33rd minute before converting a penalty stroke in the 45th to complete his brace. Lucas Toscani added a fifth, while Sukhjeet and Hardil Singh scored late goals for India.India’s seven missed penalty corners again highlighted their problems in front of goal, while their possession produced little end product.Sreejesh, who retired after the Paris Olympics and later had his tenure as India’s junior men’s team coach not renewed despite guiding the side to bronze at last year’s Junior World Cup, expressed his frustration on X.“Don’t worry… the World Cup doesn’t matter,” he began.“But here’s the uncomfortable question: Are we building a team to PLAY good hockey, or a team capable of WINNING against the best in the world?” he asked.“So who is going to ask the difficult questions?Who is going to demand accountability?And most importantly…does anyone actually care?” Sreejesh concluded.The former India international has previously questioned the quality of Indian coaching after his stint with the junior side came to an end.The women’s team also missed out on a semifinal place after being held to a goalless draw by Australia in their final second-round match on Sunday. The result was enough for Australia to progress to the last four on the basis of having scored more goals.With both Indian teams out of semifinal contention, the World Cups have once again raised questions over their ability to consistently challenge the leading teams on the biggest stage.
