India, its defunct powerhouse, is essential to hockey’s potential.

This was hockey: the men’s World Cup quarterfinal in India. Hockey (field hockey, to North Americans) has much else in common with football: each team has 11 players, the idea is to propel a ball into a goal and the scores are of similar magnitude. Both can fluctuate from the frenetic to the soporific, even in the same match. Both mix teamwork and outrageous individual skill, such as a perfectly weighted pass or a mesmerising dribble.