One bright, shining moment
The same year saw Laxman’s first international exposure. The Indian team was to play in the world hockey festival in Poland. Laxman was selected as the second goalkeeper, the first being Francis. Though Francis played in the festival in Poland; for the tour of Sweden, Germany, and Holland that followed, Laxman was allowed to try his wings, and turned in a very impressive performance.
There was another win for the Services at the nationals in Jalandhar the following year, with Laxman guarding the goal. And then the big Event, The 1956 Olympics at Melbourne. The selections for The Olympic team were held in Dehradun. Laxman was chosen to be the first goalkeeper, Francis, number two.
The Indian team had won the gold in the five previous Olympics, demonstrating their complete mastery of the game. Under Balbir Singh senior, they pulled off their sixth victory at Melbourne without conceding a single goal, an incredible achievement in itself.
After this heady victory, came a succession of disappointments: India lost to traditional rivals Pakistan at the Asian Games in Tokyo, in 1958. And then came the disappointment of losing the 1960 Olympics at Rome. ” In the Rome Olympics, we lost to Pakistan by a solitary goal in the final. Our unbroken gold-winning spree was halted by what was a stroke of bad luck. ” The game is clearly etched in Laxman’s mind. ”Our team played well, ” he says. ”We were continually on the attack, but unfortunately missed nearly a dozen easy chances. In what was only one of the few occasions that Pakistan could make a move, their left-in managed to dribble past our defenders. I went to intercept him at the top of the D, but just a split second before, he scooped the ball over my head. The agony of that goal and our defeat was enhanced because that day we had played very well.”
The final score at the Asian Games in Jakarta, in 1962, also stood in favor of Pakistan. With the political situation between India and Pakistan being particularly tense at the time, security for the final match between the two countries was tight. ”In such a tense environment we just could not perform well, ” Laxman recalls.
In Tokyo, in 1964, India got the chance to reassert its dominance. The Tokyo Olympics was Laxman’s last appearance at this sporting extravaganza. And it proved to be memorable one. ”Although all my team-mates played well, the crowds liked my game a lot. From the goalpost to the victory stand, I was on the shoulders of admirers-the response and ovation we got was overwhelming. To me the final of the 1964 Olympics was the most memorable of my career, ” says an elated Laxman, recalling even at this distance in time the exultation of that victory.
As one intimately connected with Indian hockey in its heyday, Laxman is eminently qualified to judge the difference in performance then and now. ”We performed well as long as the game was played on grass or turf. Indian players were skilful with their sticks and at short passes because they have very supple and flexible wrists, unlike the Europeans. The European coup of the hockey field began with the artificial surfaces they introduced, which require a lot more stamina on the part of the player; and when it comes to stamina and nourishment we stand nowhere in comparison to them.
”Then, the rules have changed so much, that now, the ball is more in the air than on the ground, to facilitate the long passes the Europeans prefer. We took a long time to adapt to these changes and in the meantime we were overtaken.”