The Indian men's hockey team's biggest gain this year was the emergence of some talented fresh faces.
A historic bronze-winning show by the men's team and an outstanding fourth place finish for the women's team infused fresh life into the game which was in danger of slipping into oblivion.
Indian junior women's hockey team goes down against Germany
Britain's world number three Andy Murray stressed the importance of gender equality in tennis, saying the work ethic required to succeed is the same for both men and women.
Dragflicker Sandeep Singh made a return, while injured striker Shivendra Singh and midfielder Arjun Halappa have been rested from a 22-member Indian hockey squad for a tour of Europe, starting next month.
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is planning to have India and Pakistan play their home and away matches in Europe if the arch-rivals face off in the Olympic qualifying tournament for a berth at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The goal-keeper eyes coaching role post retirement.
Chief coach Craig Fulton said the tournament will provide younger players the opportunity to experience the pressure of facing some of the top sides in the world.
The 2020 Olympics will be be held from July 24 to August 9 next year with the preliminary rounds of hockey for both men and women scheduled to start on July 25.
On-field achievements often jostled for space with off-field drama as Indian hockey endured a rollercoaster year during which the players scripted historical feats but coach Paul van Ass' acrimonious ouster and Gurbaj Singh's suspension created its share of storm.
Harmanpreet (41', 51') and Ramandeep Singh (35') scored in the second half after Akashdeep Singh (5') and SV Sunil (20') had put India ahead at half-time.
However, with the Asian Games now postponed to next year owing to the COVID-19 situation in China, HI decided to pick a strong team for the prestigious event, scheduled to begin from July 28.
The age-old malady of inconsistency remained unaddressed but Indian hockey did take baby steps towards global success in 2017, a year which reaffirmed the nation's continental supremacy in the sport.
After a dismal eighth place finish in Rio Games, much is expected from the Manpreet-led side.
The Tokyo Games are scheduled to be held from July 23 to August 8.
Manpreet (30th minute, 44th) was the star for sixth- ranked India, while Varun Kumar (17th) and Harjeet Singh (49th) also sounded the board.
With exactly a year to go for the deferred Tokyo Olympics, India hockey captains Manpreet Singh and Rani Rampal are confident of a good showing at the Games.
"Hockey India would like to confirm that all the tickets of India's matches against New Zealand on 23 & 24 May 2020 that were bought by our fans whether online or offline would be refunded," Norman said.
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand started his campaign at the Bilbao Final Masters with a crushing win over former FIDE world champion Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine in Bilbao, Spain.
List of international sports events affected by the coronavirus that has killed over 900 people and infected more than 40,000 in China
Hockey legend Ashok Kumar reckons India would have won a medal had the Olympics been held this year but the break in momentum will make a big difference now that the Games are pushed to 2021.
Defender Gurinder Singh, midfielders Sumit and Manpreet who were part of the Junior World Cup-winning squad are slated to make their debut at the tournament.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Friday
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday.
Goalkeeper P R Sreejesh could feature in his first competitive event in eight months after being named in India's 20-member squad for a four-nation tournament in New Zealand. India will compete with Belgium, Japan and hosts New Zealand at Tauranga and Hamilton in the tournament, beginning January 17.
Meet first-time Indian athletes hoping to make an impression in Rio.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday.
With the year sprinting to a close, we bring you, in pictures, some of the best action from the sports world.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday.
As the year 2016 draws to a close, vote for the best Indian sportsperson of the year.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
An Olympic campaign saved by the fortitude of three women, a cricket team that rediscovered itself under a bold and zealous Virat Kohli -- Indian sports in 2016 was a dramatic mix of highs and lows wherein athletes mostly raised the bar but administrators found new ways to embarrass the country.
Away from the cricket field, it was a year in which Sania Mirza was unarguably the biggest success story with her staggering 10 titles on the Tour -- two of them Grand Slams.
