Hockey stars disappointed over venue for India vs New Zealand Test matches

Bengaluru, July 19: International hockey has returned to the city after almost five years with India taking on New Zealand in a three-match Test series. However, nobody barring the stakeholders is aware of an international game being played in their backyard as the matches are being played at the Sports Authority of India centre in Kengeri, the outskirts of the city, where general public is not allowed.

Flag goof at Hockey World Cup

Despite the presence of a full-fledged hockey stadium - the KSHA Stadium in Shantinagar - Hockey India's decision to host New Zealand in their training ground is puzzling to say the least. Neither the players, coaches nor the media are happy about the series being played at SAI.

For the players, it means there's no one to cheer them on even as they put on a dominating display against New Zealand in the first Test on Thursday, winning 4-2 with Rupinder Pal Singh scoring a brace.

"I love. I love to play in front of a crowd and for people to see us play hockey," Rupinder Pal, who is making a comeback from injury for his first competitive match since the Commonwealth Games 2018, said. "It's a special feeling for me. People may scream or shout against us, but we wouldn't be able to hear it. For us, it's the crowd cheering us on and we get a boost to perform better.

"I am returning after the CWG and it's the first time I am wearing the Odisha jersey so I am pretty excited. That gave me enough motivation to come back to the side and play well against New Zealand."

Gearing up! 🏋🏻‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/gbxtt3NmNP

— Rupinder Pal Singh (@rupinderbob3) July 13, 2018

For the visitors, the decision to play in the training ground came as a surprise. Black Sticks coach Darren Smith admitted after the match that he would have loved a stadium atmosphere for the Test matches against India.

"Look, there are a few things. We are really excited to be here in India to play Test matches," Smith said. "I was in Bhubaneswar the other day having a look at the hotel and hockey ground in the city. It's (The World Cup is) going to be incredible and the ground is fantastic. I walked around the pitch and I just wished I was 20 years younger so that I could play in that stadium. It looks fantastic to say the least. I was sititng with the gentleman who was the architect and I realised it's going to be awesome.

"So when we landed in Bengaluru, I expected fans and a full house to see two good teams play hockey. With Harry (Harendra Singh) at the helm, they (the Indian national hockey team) are playing well and we have got a good team as well with a couple of young guys. And today's game and the quality at display showed that.

"It would be nice to get a full stadium to watch but we don't get that and it's okay. We are here to play. I would prefer it wasn't here but a proper venue. But I am not worried."

#each day ,I come in with a positive attitude,trying to get better#strongerthenyesterday#jaihind🇮🇳#13 pic.twitter.com/DqzsmF5azk

— Harmanpreet Singh (@13harmanpreet) July 19, 2018

On the other hand, Black Sticks star Stephen Jenness, who struck two for New Zealand, said his focus was purely on getting the win against India and the venue did not matter.

"It's my first time in Bangalore. I was in Delhi for the Hockey World League Finals. I kind of knew that we would play in the training ground so I expected such kind of setup," Jenness said.

"Well, it would be nice to go to Bhubaneswar, where the Hockey World Cup will be held later this year. But the ground is not ready or the games were not organised there. I expected to play in front of a crowd but that was not in the case. I was happy to play here anyway."

Even the media had a hard time getting to SAI. The security guards at the entrance of the campus said they were unaware of any matches being played inside and that the media would need permission from the SAI headquarters to be permitted inside. This, even after Hockey India had sought SAI's permission to allow members of the media entry into the SAI campus. The guard finally let the media in after the Hockey India media manager intervened.

The remaining matches of the Test series will be played on Saturday (July 21) and Sunday (July 22). It's unlikely that the venue would be shifted to the KSHA Stadium on such short notice. According to sources, logistics influenced the decision to host the games at SAI. The KSHA Stadium is ill-equipped to host international matches as it does not have a dressing room for the teams as well as an electronic scoreboard.

Yet, Hockey Karnataka indicated that there is hope that the final match of the series could be hosted in the city.