How Madhya Pradesh Stole the Thunder with Maiden Final Appearance in Senior Men’s Hockey Nationals

It was nothing short of a ‘Cinderella run’ for the Madhya Pradesh men’s hockey team in the 15th Senior Men’s Hockey Nationals organized by Hockey India – the lads from MP probably not just surprised most of their opponents but also themselves with their maiden final appearance in the premier domestic tourney at the Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium, Jhansi.

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It may be pertinent to mention that Bhopal had won the senior men nationals twice in 1945 and 1948 beating United Provinces and Bombay respectively in the finals and finished runners-up to Punjab in the 1950 edition. So this was the first final appearance as Madhya Pradesh. Effectively, it was after a hiatus of 75 years they reached the nationals final. Under the new format Madhya Pradesh featured in the ‘A’ division among 12 top domestic teams and it wasn’t a piece of cake at all as they were pitted in Pool A alongside Punjab and defending champions Odisha.

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It is always crucial to kickstart on a robust note, and former international Affan Yousuf-captained Madhya Pradesh precisely did just that, sneaking past reigning champions Odisha captained by Amit Rohidas 3-2. The opening game set the tone for the MP lads as they grew in confidence as they prevailed over 2021 and 2023 champions Punjab by an identical 3-2 scoreline like the one over Odisha to top Pool A, and set up a quarterfinal date against Maharashtra. The MP men out-duelled Maharashtra 4-2 in a shootout after being locked 1-1 in regulation time.

(Madhya Pradesh team in action against Punjab in the pool tie)

The winning momentum continued as the Madhya Pradesh men sailed past a resolute Manipur 5-3 in the semfinal and square up against Punjab in the final – the MP lads would have fancied their chances having beaten Punjab in the pool phase but they were up against a side that was thirsting for revenge – the Punjab lads made the final a lop-sided affair winning 4-1.

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The law of averages did catch up with the Madhya Pradesh men in the summit clash but there is no denying the fact that they leave a big impression on all and sundry in the 15th Senior Men’s Hockey Nationals at Jhansi. The MP lads were well served by the likes of skipper Affan Yousuf, Ali Ahmad, Pratap Lakra, goalkeeper Sanjay among others.

Madhya Pradesh men’s hockey team coach Devki Nandan Kushwaha is all praise for his team that rose to the occasion and capped off a runners-up finish in a tourney where defending champions Odisha did not even make it to the quarterfinals. “We channelised all our focus on winning the opening game against Odisha in a three-team Pool A and beating Punjab helped us top pool A. We devised strategies for each match and my boys deserve credit for sticking to our plans,” he says in a chat with Hockey Passion.

Kushwaha reels out the reasons why Madhya Pradesh finished second-best in the final. “Look, we played really in the first two quarters and even took the lead but in the third quarter Punjab side resorted to hard-press and our deep defence couldn’t effectively handle their raids. Punjab are a very formidable side featuring as many as eight Olympians and eleven current or former internationals,” he says.

Barring skipper Affan Yousuf, Madhya Pradesh featured three other internationals in Pratap Lakra, Ankit Pal, and Sundram Singh Rajawat. Kushwaha, who retired as SAI coach and now is the assistant coach of the women’s team at the Gwalior-based Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy (MPHA), has no doubts about Affan Yousuf led from the front. “Affan’s presence really helped the Madhya Pradesh side and he carried the team well together. He is 31 but is very fit and sharp in his game and is good enough to play hockey at the highest level,” he quips.

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The 46-year-old, who played as a midfielder for Indian Army from 1996 to 2014, ans subsequently retired from the Indian Army in 2022, made a special mention of MP goalkeeper Sanjay. “Sanjay was like a one-man-army for us in the cage and was outstanding through the tournament – no praise can be enough for him,” he gushes.