They were the kings of hockey, reigning Olympic champions for 32 years, with a total of eight gold medals. Then the Eighties arrived. Since then, the India men’s team has been forced to look on humbly as a host of rivals have triumphed at eight Olympic Games, not even allowing the fallen rulers on to the podium.

But it seems the tide may be turning. India became the first and until now only men’s team to have qualified for Rio 2016 when they won last’s Asian Games, a feat followed by a 3-1 Test series victory over world champions Australia, in Australia. The Indians are set to arrive in Rio full of confidence.

“Indian hockey used to dominate the world and winning a ninth Olympic gold would be very special, a massive achievement for Indian hockey and our country,” India captain Sardar Singh told rio2016.com. “You can imagine how a nation that has a glorious history in hockey and a passionate fan base would go berserk.”

Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh stresses the importance of hockey for national pride in India. “The whole country wants to win the gold medal again and regain our lost glory,” he said. “Each of us wants to see our hockey dominating the world again.”

Sardar Singh led India to victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asian Games final (Photo: Getty Images/Suhaimi Abdullah)

India won six consecutive gold medals between 1928 and 1956, with another two coming in 1964 and 1980, making it the most successful nation in the history of Olympic hockey. But since that last gold in Moscow, top honours have been shared by Great Britain, Pakistan, the Netherlands, Germany and Australia.

A member of the Indian team since 2006, Singh attributes the start of his country’s decline to the introduction of artificial turf at major international competitions in the 1970s, which the Indian players had difficulty adapting to. However, according to the veteran captain, India has now blended the best of its old game with the strengths required to prosper on modern surfaces.

“The introduction of artificial turf changed the game and hockey has become more about speed than skill,” he said. “Indian or Asian hockey is known worldwide for its skill and after the introduction of artificial turf, we took some time to adjust to the new field and the speedy style of the game. Meanwhile, European teams and Australia improved their performance and took hockey to a new level.

“In the last few years, Indian hockey has improved a lot as we have incorporated both skills and speed into our game. With the recent successes, we can say that India is now among the best teams in the world and we are one of the contenders for the Rio 2016 gold medal.”

Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh believes India have an advantage over their rivals for gold at Rio 2016 (Photo: Getty Images/Jeff Gross)

For Sreejesh, qualifying for Rio 2016 with two years to go has handed India an advantage over its rivals, who will spend this year fighting for the remaining 11 places. “This is the best thing that’s happened to us,” he said. “We have a good amount of time to prepare and test our strategies on the field.

“We are going to play many matches and tournaments and everything will be a part of a bigger strategy. We will try many variations and give opportunities to some new players. We have time, a big talent pool and very experienced coaching staff. There is a good feeling in the team now and everything is going perfectly.”

Singh is expecting passionate crowds in Rio and hopes the Indian team can win new fans among the locals. “People in Rio are known to be sports-loving and their passion for football is well known. I’m expecting good crowds during our matches and I hope that they support our team during the Games.”