Monday, Feb 09, 2004
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Hockey
By Rakesh Rao
The triumphant Indian team members tossing the captain Surajlata Devi. — Photo: V. Sudershan
NEW DELHI, FEB. 8. What the `Men in Blue' could not achieve against the mighty Australians in Sydney, the `Girls in Blue' accomplished at the National Stadium here. By outwitting pre-match favourite Japan 1-0 and claiming the Women's Asia Cup hockey title, the home team provided great joy to the country's sports lovers. Backed by a goodly Sunday crowd, India broke the goalless deadlock in the 64th minute through Jasjeet Kaur. This 15-year-old from Shahbad Markhand, in Haryana, latched on to a ball relayed by Sanggai Chanu, outsmarted Chie Kimura near the 25-yard line and once inside the striking circle, struck powerfully to beat Japan's goalkeeper Rie Terazono. India had to withstand tremendous pressure in the remaining time. Two of Japan's 10 penalty corners came during the closing moments of the match. In fact, the last one was taken after the `hooter'. For one last time, the Indian defence stood firm and denied Japan the equaliser. Thereafter, it was time to celebrate the completion of a job well done. The maiden Cup triumph has also earned India a berth in the 2006 World Cup. What more, India has also avenged the defeats suffered to Japan in the 2002 Asian Games. No wonder, skipper Surajlata Devi Waikhom was particularly pleased. A member of the team that lost the 1999 final at the same venue to Korea in extra-time after leading 2-1 until 68 minutes, Surajlata said, "I can't express my joy in words. The defeat in the last final still hurts and also the way we lost all our matches in the Asian Games. But I am so happy that we have settled scores with Korea and Japan. Also, let us not forget that we did not let China win. All this was achieved in just eight months of hard work. The younger girls did a good job and we all hope that we get the necessary support leading to a delightful performance in the World Cup.'' For `lucky' coach M. K. Kaushik, it could not have been better. Coach of the men's team which won the Asian Games gold in 1998 after 32 years and more recently, that of the women's team which beat the field in the Afro-Asian Games, Kaushik had indeed played a huge role in moulding a unit, consisting of many inexperienced players, into a winning one. "The girls improved with every match and today, they did just what was needed to be done. It was important to put pressure on the Japanese defence and they did it. In the second session, we chose to attack from the right flank since Japan was using the same flank to launch its attacks. Our girls did not allow the Japanese girls to regroup at any stage,'' said a delighted Kaushik. The superb acts of thwarting 10 penalty corners and many field-goal opportunities stood out in India's display today. If India moved ahead due to a quick counter-attack, significant was the way defenders Suman Bala, Subhadra Chauhan and goalkeeper Helen Mary ensured that India never trailed and later, the lead was not nullified. The defence may have given away penalty-corners by not tackling flawlessly but made up by keeping the Japanese strikers at bay. India gained a penalty corner in each half but could not make use of any. Upfront, Jasjeet, who was not in the starting line-up joined the action after 10 minutes and was in the thick of action. Mamta Kharab was pedestrian but Sanggai Chanu and Saba Anjum kept the pressure on the Japanese defence. From Japan, the dangerous Sachimi Iwao, the highest scorer of the competition, found Surajlata tough to pass. Sakae Morimoto and Chie Kimura were not allowed liberties inside the striking circle. Towards the end, a desperate Japan attacked with 10 players inside India's 25-yard line but could not alter the final outcome. Earlier, China took the third spot by beating Korea 3-0 in the tie-breaker, after regulation time and extra-time had ended goalless. For the record, Ma Yibo, Mai Shaoyan and Chen Qiu Qi converted, in that order, to complete China's victory. The results: Final: India bt Japan 1-0; Third place: China bt Korea 3-0.
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