Having covered plenty of hockey over four decades — Nationals, Federation Cup, local tournaments, and more, including the Olympics and the Asian Games — I am aware of the power-hungry officials. Gill met his Waterloo in 2010. The entire IHF was disbanded, and a new body was later conceived, leading to the formation of Hockey India. Here, too, Dr Batra was seen as a self-styled leader, someone who hired and fired coaches. He rose to become President of FIH, the world body, before being tripped in 2022. Yet, deep down, Batra wanted results in Indian hockey.
