There were smiles all across the faces of the Indian fans and media contingent here at the GBK Sports Centre as the men's hockey team steamrolled Hong Kong 26-0 in a league match here yesterday. The joy was because India has registered its biggest ever victory margin in the game — their previous record being a 24-1 win over USA 86 years ago — at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.

Beneath those smiles
however are a few questions that demand a honest debate. Does it make sense to field teams that are of such contrasting quality? What is the learning for the winning or losing team in this? Can there be a shorter format wherein only four or five of Asia's top teams compete for top honours? Almost 200 goals have been scored in the first four days of the hockey competition here with lopsided contests being the order of the day.