The Hockey revolution begins in style

HYDERABAD: The floodlit hockey complex at Gachibowli witnessed a revolution of sorts on Thursday. Fireworks, cheerleaders, mid-half breaks, timeouts and the conspicuousness of the camera, things that were unheard of in hockey till now have made their first appearances inside the arena as the inaugural Premier Hockey League kicked off on Thursday night.
It was all a bit confusing for the hundreds of school children, mostly first-timers, trying to compare it with the conventional game they had seen thus far.
Nevertheless, they cheered lustily as the players went about their job, though looking unsure of the new innovatives, for the first session at least.
With foreign stalwarts like Mohd Wasim and Mohd Sarwar of Pakistan, Noor Azlan of Malaysia rubbing shoulders with Indian stars like Dilip Tirkey and Sameer Dad of Hyderabad Sultans, Gagan Ajit singh, Prabhjot Singh, Baljit Singh Dhillon and Baljit Singh Saini of Sher-E-Jallandhar, the opening match had all the star value that one could ask for.
However, amidst all this glitter and innovation, one could not miss the prying eye of the camera as programme presenters tried to butt in and speak to Sher-E-Jallandhar coach Ramandeep Singh even while play was on.
But if one is charitable to ignore the intruding camera as over-enthusiasm of the first-time presenters, what comes out clearly is that the format can catch the imagination of fans, albeit in a refined version.
But for the first time effort, quodos to the guys who conceptulised it. The revolution has begun, hope it catches on.