After all, the FIH is heading for a period many would find daunting. The times they are a changin', as Bob Dylan sang in his 1964 smash hit.

Leandro Negre, President of the FIH for eight years, was replaced at the helm by Narinder Batra, while chief executive Kelly Fairweather - who is clearly highly thought of within the organisation judging by the emotional reaction to his impending departure today - is also heading for the exit door.

With a new President elected and a new number two in New Zealander Jason McCracken, who steps into the shoes vacated by Fairweather in February, you could be forgiven for being a tad apprehensive about what the future holds for the FIH.

But Batra and McCracken, the new kids on the block as it were, have been given a sturdy platform from which to build and continue the "Hockey Revolution" unleashed on the sport two years ago following the very real threat of the Olympic axe in 2013.

This, it has to be said, is largely thanks to the efforts of Negre and Fairweather, who together have spearheaded the sport's recovery from the abyss and into relative security.

Of course, this brings extra pressure on Batra, the Hockey India President who was selected to take charge of the FIH after claiming 68 votes in round one of the Presidential election, as he will be tasked with ensuring their good work does not go to waste.

McCracken, too, will be wary that the duo of Negre and Fairweather are a tough act to follow. They simply cannot afford a return to the dark days, where it took "explosive" words from the International Olympic Committee post London 2012 to spark the governing body into any discernible action.

Now, the sport is widely praised by the IOC for the development path they have taken, although this is usually accompanied with the familiar message of not resting on their laurels.

You do not get the impression either Batra or McCracken have any intention of doing so. "Hockey is moving forward so please be rest assured the old team has got it to a very good level and we need to take it and expand it," the newly-elected President said in his first appearance in front of the media.

"I can say me and the new chief executive will not let you down on the revenue side.

"The revenues will go up, no question."

Batra, however, does not have the experience of Negre in the murky world of sports governance, likewise McCracken’s standing within the FIH is not at the level of Fairweather.

Yet this does not mean they will not succeed. On the other hand, it is naive to suggest it will be plain sailing.

Amazingly, Batra comes into the position as the first-ever Indian head of an Olympic International Federation amid a time where issues within sporting bodies in the gargantuan nation are worryingly frequent.

The 59-year-old has first-hand experience of this himself having been involved in a spat with Indian Olympic Association head N Ramachandran back in 2015.

Batra had called for a Special General Meeting (SGM) in which the only item would be a vote of no confidence in the IOA President, while legal action had also been launched by Ramachandran following accusations of bribery and corruption, made by the new FIH head. They claim to have reconciled and it should be noted that Batra was influential in getting the IOA reinstated into the IOC back in 2014.

So does he feel extra pressure as a result of being the only Indian President of an Olympic IF?

"I don’t think there is any additional pressure but I do think it is an honour and I feel humbled," Batra responded when questioned by insidethegames.

"It makes me feel like I have more responsibilities and I would certainly like to live up to the expectations the members have placed on me."

Cynics will say there is a reason for the lack of Indian representatives in the top echelons of the IFs. Some will say they are simply too risky, too suspect to carry out their duties effectively and without having a negative impact on the sport they are supposed to take care of.

But Batra, who begins work immediately, should not be tarred with the same brush and should be handed the opportunity to prove he is not like many others from his native India who have gone before him. He certainly strikes me as the ruthless type, and his first-round success during the election implies an encouraging degree of support from the FIH electorate.

Most of his backing is likely to have come from Asia, where he is well-respected following his pioneering work as chairman of the Hockey India League, a club competition which garners extensive coverage both at home and abroad.

Before he sat down to speak to the media at a round-table following the conclusion of the Congress, he revealed he had visited 40 countries in 72 days, demonstrating an impressive commitment to the cause. "Sometimes I have breakfast in one country, lunch in another and then dinner in another," he told the Indian press when on the global campaign trail.

It is this attitude which he will need to bring to his term in office at the FIH. His in-tray is already piling up with matters he needs to attend to, including the new event portfolio, which was unveiled to the Congress yesterday and is scheduled to come into effect in 2019. In what represents the biggest competition reshuffle in the sport’s recent history, the Champions Trophy and Hockey World League Semi-Final and Final events have been scrapped.

In their place is a new worldwide home and away league, which is set to feature between seven and nine teams for men and women. Eligibility criteria has yet to be confirmed by the FIH, although they are expected to announce the competing nations in June of next year, with further details on exact structure and composition still to be unveiled.

On paper, the event appears an intriguing prospect which has the potential to excite the growth in the sport the FIH are desperate to achieve. Yet without a clear promotion and relegation system, you risk alienating the lesser nations and hockey could find itself in the same position as cricket - ironically also hugely popular in Batra’s native India - where the same teams battle out for the major honours year after year.

It is this growth which is one of Batra’s principle aims now that he has triumphed over challengers David Balbirnie of Ireland and Australia’s Ken Read - who, to their credit, lobbied hard for votes during the two-day Congress but ultimately fell short in another IF election race remiss of a spark.

Batra’s main pledge was to increase the number of nations playing the game worldwide, while enhancing revenue as well as the sport’s television and social media presence.

His vision is to bring together the best of hockey from across the world to give the right kind of exposure to players, as well as fans. How he goes about doing that remains to be seen.

But one thing is for certain - he will not be building walls to keep people in.

Instead, he will be breaking them down to help spread the game of hockey to farther parts of the world in a bid to help lead the FIH into a bright new dawn.