New Delhi, Mar 10: Indian hockey touched its nadir on Monday with the eight-time gold medallists, for the first time, failing to make the Olympic cut in complete contrast to its glorious past.

Since its debut in the quadrennial sporting extravaganza in 1928, India remained unbeaten in the Olympic Games till 1956, winning six gold medals in a row.

It's not only medals that they won. The mesmerising stick work and the frequent dodge saw the basic dribble skill being named 'Indian dribble' after their exploit in the 1956 Olympics.

The golden streak, however, was finally snapped in 1960 when arch-rivals Pakistan beat India 1-0 in the Rome Olympic final and Leslie Claudius' team had to settle for the Silver.

India bounced back to claim the Gold again in the subsequent Olympic Games in Tokyo but the aura was wearing thin and they finished with Bronze both in 1968 and 1972.

Things turned even worse and in 1976, India, having finished a dismal seventh, returned empty-handed from Montreal for the first time in Olympic's history.

V Bhaskaran managed to lead his side to the Olympic gold in 1980 Moscow Olympics but the achievement lost much of its sheen with European powerhouses like Germany, Holland and Great Britain boycotting the event.

Since then, it has been a steady decline and India's worst fear came true today with the side failing to qualify for the quadrennial event they dominated for so long in the past.

India in Olympics:

Year Venue captain Medal/Position 1928 Amsterdam Jaipal Singh Gold 1932 Los Angeles Lal Shah Bokhari Gold 1936 Berlin Dhyan Chand Gold 1948 London Kishan Lal Gold 1952 Helsinki K D Singh Babu Gold 1956 Melbourne Balbir Singh Sr. Gold 1960 Rome Leslie Claudius Silver 1964 Tokyo Charanjeet Singh Gold 1968 Mexico City Prithipal and Gurbux Singh Bronze 1972 Munich Harmeek Singh Bronze 1976 Montreal Ajitpal Singh 7th 1980 Moscow Vasudevan Bhaskaran Gold 1984 Los Angeles Zafar Iqbal 5th 1988 Seoul M Sommayya 6th 1992 Barcelona Pargat Singh 7th 1996 Atlanta Pargat Singh 8th 2000 Sydney Ramandeep Singh 7th 2004 Athens Dilip Tirkey 7th.

Gill, Jothikumaran will have to go: Pargat

Jalandhar: Former captain and Olympian Pargat Singh on Monday held the Indian Hockey Federation top brass responsible for India's failure to qualify for the Olympics. India lost to Britain 2-0 in the final of the qualifiers in Chile to miss the bus for the Beijing Games for the first time in eight decades.

Pargat said it was high time the IHF top bosses took responsibility and stepped down from their posts.

"It's time the IHF office-bearers, including President K P S Gill and Secretary K Jothikumaran, take moral responsibility of the poor performance of Indian hockey team in the Olympic qualifiers and immediately resign from their posts," Pargat told PTI.

"It was not surprising that Indian hockey team failed to qualify for the Olympics. It was expected due to the performance of IHF," Pargat said, adding the government should take control of the federation to save the national game.

Pargat said the resignation of IHF vice-president Narender Batra, who used to oppose Gill's autocratic governance of the federation, would allow the top brass of the federation to function more whimsically.

"His resignation will adversely affect the functioning of IHF as Gill and Jothikumaran, who have virtually forged a nexus, will be free to ruin Indian hockey further," Pargat said.

Saddest day for Indian hockey: Gagan Ajit Singh

Chandigarh: Olympian Gagan Ajit Singh today blamed the Indian Hockey Federation for the country`s failure to qualify for the Olympics.

On India`s 2-0 defeat to Great Britain in the final of the Olympic qualifiers, Gagan said, "It is the saddest day for Indian hockey. The IHF top brass, including its president and coach, should step down immediately and pave way for fresh people."

He said the team`s failure to qualify for the Olympics after 80 years was not just a "national shame", but a great disappointment for "world hockey as well".

"It`s a loss for world hockey as others want India to do well and be there," he said.

He said it was beyond his comprehension why players like him, Len Aiyappa, Sandeep Singh and Deepak Thakur, who played well in the premier hockey league (PHL), were ignored by the selectors.

"The English team had earlier gone on record saying they fear Sandeep Singh, who would have been an asset if he had played. Other players who were doing really well were not even considered," he regretted.

Balwinder Singh Shammi, who played 156 international matches, said coach Joaquim Carvalho and the selectors should step down after the team`s shock defeat.

"First of all, a player like Sandeep Singh was ignored. In the absence of experienced players, how can the selectors even think that the team will qualify," he said.

Coach of the junior World Cup winning team of 2001, Narinder Singh Sodhi, said though it was a "black day for our hockey, but it is not the end of the road".

"Our hockey is not finished with this defeat. We have players like Arjun Halappa, Sandeep Singh, Vikram Pillay, Kanwalpreet Singh and Tejbir Singh who cannot be ignored.

They are not too old to be sidelined," Sodhi said.

Satinder Sharma, who has umpired in 99 international matches and would be umpiring in the forthcoming Olympics, said it was sad that the Indian team would not be there in Beijing.

"I think now we will have to re-draw our strategy and do some re-thinking. We will also have to put in a lot of effort at the grassroots level. Creating discipline among our players is also very important so that they don`t have to sit out on account of receiving yellow cards," he said.

Saddest day for Indian Hockey: Gurbux Singh

Kolkata: Former Hockey Olympian Gurbux Singh today termed India's ouster from the Olympics as the saddest day of Indian Hockey.

Talking to UNI, Mr Singh said, ''It is the saddest day for Indian Hockey. This is the first time in 80 years that we have not qualified for the Olympics. However, this is not a time for desperation. It is a time to regroup and plan.''

Worst day for Indian hockey: Pillay

New Delhi: A heartbroken hockey fraternity on Monday reacted in anger and demanded the ouster of Indian Hockey Federation President KPS Gill following the team's unprecedented failure to make the cut for the Beijing Olympics.

India created a dubious history as they lost to England 2-0 to miss the bus for the quadrennial games for the first time in 80 years.

A disturbed Dhanraj Pillay, who could not sleep in the night after witnessing the team slumping to ignominy, said it's high time the top brass of IHF was overhauled.

"How much you speak about it is not sufficient. We have created a bad piece of history. It's the worst day for Indian hockey. It's time to replace the top officials of the federation. IHF never tried to take the help of players like me who have played for the country so long," Pillay said.

The four-time Olympian, however, said people who matter should look forward instead of criticising the players.

An irked Asian Games gold medallist goal-keeper AB Subaiah said not only Gill but the whole set up has to go after the debacle.

"People who are asking for Gill's head should also realise that people like (IHF Secretary) K Jothikumaran and (Uttar Pradesh association official) JN Tyagi should also go. It's very sad and unfortunate that we could not qualify for the Olympics," he said.

However, former coach Baskaran said now the team should be rebuilt keeping an eye on the important assignments in near future.

"We need to build a team in two years' time and should look ahead at Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the World Cup," he said.

Olympian Gurdeep Singh blamed the lack of planning which pinned the team down.

"There was no plan. We have never been tactical. The body language of the players was not good. There were desperate signs which turned into a nightmare," he said.

"After Asia Cup we did not play enough matches," he added.

Former captain Viren Rasquinha said there was lack of composure and discipline in team in the final.

"It was a poor match. There was lack of composure and discipline. Two yellow cards in an crucial game like this speaks about it. We were lucky not to concede six more goals. The defence was poor, the half line non-existent and the forwards were invisible," he said.

Noted commentator Jasdev Singh called for a change in an IHF set-up for the revival of Indian hockey.

"It's the saddest day for Indian hockey, it will be very difficult to come out of the phase. It's a huge psychological blow and would be difficult to recover from. There should be a change in guard because only fresh ideas can bring about a turnaround," he said.

Pointing the finger at coach Carvalho (Watch: Coach steps down) , Olympian and selector Gurbaux Singh said Technical Advisor Ric Charlesworth's inputs would have helped the side in the crucial tournament.

"It's sad that Ric Chrlesworth's servicees were not utilised. He was not even allowed to go to Chile. Why? His advice could have helped. Only because of the ego of some people, he was kept out of the loop."

Expressing his helplessness, he said after picking the 30 probables, the entire selection was done by the coach and not the selectors.

India's chief Hockey coach Carvalho steps down

Santiago: Chief hockey coach Joaquim Carvalho has decided to step down along with his support staff following India's failure to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics for the first time in 80 years.

Talking to PTI here soon after India's 2-0 loss to Great Britain in the final of the Qualifying Tournament last night, Carvalho said his failure to "deliver result" prompted him to resign.

"When I took over 11 months ago, I had said I would resign if I cannot deliver results. So, now, I am keeping my word. Yes, I am as disappointed and hurt as any other Indian hockey fan. Having said that, failure to qualify for the Olympics is not the end of the road for Indian hockey. We now have to start from scratch and renew our attempt to become one of the top teams in the World," he said.

Carvalho said he was still to speak to Indian Hockey Federation president KPS Gill about his resignation, but asserted that his decision was final.

When asked whether he would re-consider his decision if asked by the IHF, Carvalho said: "I don't know. I will have to give everything a lot of thought. There are a few issues too that the IHF will first have to straighten out.

"In any case, for the moment, I am firm in my decision to step down along with assistant coaches Mohinder Pal Singh and Ramesh Parameswaran."

The coach opined that there was still a lot of potential in the current team and that there was no need to press the panic button.

"We must retain the core team and perhaps even induct a few junior players. Some of the seniors in the team might have to think hard about their future in international hockey," he said.

Carvalho blames below-par performance for defeat

Santiago: Chief Hockey Coach Joaquim Carvalho has blamed India's below-par performance and some serious blunders for their 0-2 defeat in the World Hockey Olympic qualifying final at the hands of Great Britain, who also did not put up an extra ordinary performance.

Following the defeat, India failed to qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time in 80 years since their debut in 1928.

"We played to just 50 per cent of potential today. Our defence made a silly mistake in the very first minute that led to a goal and another error on the flanks resulted in a second goal against us. We could not recover from these setbacks," Carvalho said after the match.

He opined that it was not as if Britain played an extraordinary game, but rather, India helped their opponents by playing badly.

"It was like we losing the match rather than Britain winning. They capitalized on their chances and we did not. Our penalty corner drill too was rather bad and even if we had converted one, that would have lifted the team," he said.

Carvalho observed that the players were rather lethargic to begin with and once falling in arrears, they just failed to get going.

"The two yellow cards again affected our rhythm and flow. I thought that neither of the two yellow cards were warranted considering that the British players got away with body checks. I will not say that umpiring mistakes cost us the match, but these factors too contributed to our downfall," he said.

Carvalho rejected suggestions that the team did not appear sufficiently motivated for such an important match.

"I don't think it was about lack of motivation. To repeat myself, it was just that we played badly and at this level of the game, there is no way you can commit such mistakes and get away with them," he asserted.

Great Britain coach Jason Lee said the victory was mainly due to the hard work the team had done over the past three weeks and that his players had shown great character through the 70 minutes.

"We came here about a fortnight before the tournament began and have been practicing hard. For tonight's game against India, we had worked out structures and patterns, and I am happy that it paid off. The two early goals too helped us to take control, for it could have been the other way round had India got going instead of us," he said.

IHF vice president Batra steps down, raps Gill

New Delhi: Indian Hockey Federation Vice President Narender Batra, a bitter critic of chief KPS Gill's "autocratic" functioning, on Monday stepped down from his post and also asked the IHF's top brass to resign in the wake of India's failure to qualify for the Olympics.

Reacting sharply to India's 2-0 defeat against Great Britain in the Olympic qualifiers in Chile, Batra said all the top officials should take moral responsibility for the fiasco.

"I do not have words. It's a shame. I am disappointed. I tried my best but failed. My idea was to start an initiative to revive hockey. All the federation officials should resign," he said.

Training his gun at Gill, Batra alleged that coach Joaquim Carvalho's appointment was because of the IHF's policy to appease the Bombay Hockey Association.

"I am not talking about Carvalho's ability. But the way he was appointed," he said.

He also alleged that coaches who were vocal were changed and Carvalho continued as he was an "yes man."

Batra said it's unfortunate that a security person like Suresh Sharma worked as the chief of protocol.

"It's sad that Carvalho has to report to Suresh Sharma, a security person who was made chief selector," he said.

Batra said the Sports Ministry was not concerned about hockey and only government's intervention could revive the game.