New Delhi [India], August 25 (ANI): Former India men's hockey captain and Olympic medallist PR Sreejesh questioned the lack of accountability in Indian hockey after both the men's and women's teams failed to reach the semifinals of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026.
Sreejesh raised pointed questions about the teams' performances and preparations after India's men's side crashed out following a 3-5 defeat to Argentina on Monday, while the women's team had earlier missed out on the semifinals after a 0-0 draw against Australia.
Sharing a post on X after the men's team's exit, Sreejesh asked whether India were building a team capable of beating the world's best or merely one that could produce good performances.
He wrote on X, "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? Stop hiding behind "learning", "good hockey" and future tournaments. The World Cup is not a rehearsal. It is the World Cup. So who is going to ask the difficult questions? Who is going to demand accountability? And most importantly... Does anyone actually care?"
Don’t worry… the World Cup doesn’t matter. 🤡
The Asian Games are coming. Win a medal 🥇 there, and then we can start dreaming about LA 2028. Apparently, that’s enough to cover everything that went wrong at the World Cup.
Women’s chief coach on holiday just before the World…
The former goalkeeper also questioned the approach of looking towards the Asian Games as the next major target after the World Cup disappointment.
"Don't worry... the World Cup doesn't matter. The Asian Games are coming. Win a medal there, and then we can start dreaming about LA 2028. Apparently, that's enough to cover everything that went wrong at the World Cup," said the former head coach of the India men's U-21 junior team.
Sreejesh also criticised the circumstances surrounding the women's team's preparation and questioned the absence of chief coach Sjoerd Marijne during the final phase before the World Cup.
He said, "Women's chief coach on holiday just before the World Cup -- and the girls still fought their hearts out and exceeded expectations. Credit to the players. But where is the accountability? Do we really expect a team to perform at its best when the chief coach is away during the final phase of preparation?"
He further questioned whether India's men's team were being judged by the right standards and said, "Men's team loses to a top team → "It's a learning experience." Beats an Asian team → "Great victory." Plays good hockey → "Good performance."
Former India captain and Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) CEO Viren Rasquinha also voiced concerns over the state of Indian men's hockey, warning that a gold medal at the Asian Games could mask deeper issues.
Sharing a post on X, he wrote, "Asian hockey is currently at its worst ever, seeing the performance of Japan, Pakistan and Malaysia at FIH World Cup. My worry is that gold medal for India at Asian Games will paper over a lot of cracks in Indian Men's hockey. Serious introspection is needed post the Asian Games - fitness, selection, tactics, squad depth etc."
Asian hockey is currently at its worst ever, seeing the performance of 🇯🇵, 🇵🇰 & 🇲🇾 at FIH World Cup. My worry is that🥇medal for 🇮🇳 at AG will paper over a lot of cracks in Indian Men’s 🏑
Serious introspection is needed post the AG-fitness, selection, tactics, squad depth etc
India's men's team needed to defeat Argentina by at least two goals to keep their semifinal hopes alive but conceded five goals in a disappointing defensive display. Sukhjeet Singh scored twice, and Hardik Singh converted a penalty stroke, but Argentina's attacking pressure proved decisive.
The defeat extended India's wait for a men's World Cup podium finish to 51 years. India had won their only World Cup title in 1975 and have not returned to the podium since.
India will now face Belgium in the seventh-eighth place classification match.
The women's team's campaign had ended earlier after their goalless draw against Australia. The two sides finished level on points and goal difference, but Australia advanced to the semifinals by virtue of scoring more goals in the tournament.
With the World Cup campaigns over, attention now turns to the Asian Games in Japan, where India will look to secure strong results and strengthen their qualification hopes for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. (ANI)
