Odisha mantra of Indian hockey 

The Indian team has filled the Independence Day celebrations with pride by winning the title in the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament which concluded in Chennai. The title won by conquering all the dominant teams in Asia is a return to India's proud heritage in hockey. Sports fans remember the sight of the descendants of the eight-time Olympic hockey gold medalist bowing down in tears after failing to qualify for the Olympics a few years ago. From there, India started to revive by winning bronze medals in the 2018 Asian Games, the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and silver in the 2022 Commonwealth Games. This achievement is a continuation of that.

This is the first time since 2018 that India has won the Asian Champions Trophy. This time India won the crown without losing a single match. India reached the semi-finals after defeating arch-rivals Pakistan, defending champions South Korea and China, and defeated Japan in the semis. India went on to thrash Japan 5-0, who were responsible for India's only draw in the group stage. They defeated Malaysia 5-0 in the group stage and defeated them again 4-3 in the final. It is the seventh time that India has become the Asian champions.

Numerous hands played a part in the making of the Asian champions from a position of not being able to qualify for the Beijing Olympics. Along with the players and coaches who have worked hard behind it, the Odisha government also deserves special applause for the training facilities and other contributions to the team. Odisha's Naveen Patnaik government took over the entire Indian hockey team, which was running out of sponsors a few years ago. When a state took over the sponsorship of the national team for the first time instead of big companies, many people looked at it as if it was a myth. But the Odisha government was determined to bring India's hockey pride back to its former glory.

Odisha was not just playing sponsors. The Kalinga Sports Complex in Bhubaneswar has been relocated as the home ground for the Indian men's and women's hockey teams. The Government provided the best turf facilities available for the team. The best trainers from abroad and at home have been brought. The key to all of this is that the team has been radically transformed into a professional approach. Odisha applied the technology that transformed India into a match for any European power. Odisha's success story is an example for other states. India's shortcomings in sports can be overcome if every Indian state, big or small, comes to sponsor each game.

The presence of PR Sreejesh, a reliable goalkeeper, is a source of pride for the Malayalees in their Champions Trophy achievement. Through this tournament, Sreejesh completed 300 international matches in his career. It is a rare fortune that a person from Kerala can stay in the Indian hockey team for more than a decade and a half. Bouquets of congratulations once again to Sreejesh and his team. May this spectacular performance be repeated at the Hangzhou Asian Games as well.