The Hindu : Sport : Gagan Ajit fashions India Seniors' victory

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Thursday, Aug 17, 2006

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Gagan Ajit fashions India Seniors' victory

S. Thyagarajan

CELEBRATION TIME: Gagan Ajit Singh of India Seniors (centre) celebrating with his teammates after scoring a goal against Indian Development team. — PHOTO: R. Ragu

Chennai: Absorbing. No other epithet would be more appropriate to showcase the final of the Independence Cup. Crisp, combative and even charming, the hockey on view at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium here on Wednesday was heart-warming.

Put in the right perspective, the outcome mattered little as the contestants were on trial for the World Cup and the South Asian Games. Yet the tie between India Seniors and the Development squad contained all the ingredients of a cup final.

That the Seniors triumphed by a solitary goal by Gagan Ajit Singh underscores the closeness of the contest. Only seven minutes remained from the hooter when Gagan trapped a forward pass from Tejbir Singh and smashed the ball into the boards.

Fighting display

The Development squad enhanced the intensity of the combat with a fighting display inspired in some phases. The Seniors, on the contrary, looked more subdued, needlessly circumspect allowing the rival to take advantage in exchanges and creativity.

Striker Gurvinder was the livewire of the Development team's attacks. He was admirably supported by Adam Sinclair, Birendra Lakra and Sandeep Micheal. The Seniors' defence was on its toes throughout. Mahadik in the midfield created several openings for the Development squad. The deep defenders, William Xalco and Raghunath were tenacious.

Srejesh shines

A word of praise for goalkeeper Srejesh should not be presumed as exaggeration. He effected a few smart saves, once nullifying a penalty corner drive by Sandeep Singh and later baulking with nonchalance a reverse flick by Gagan. For all the pace it generated, the Seniors' frontline sallies were devoid of cohesion. Shivendra was well marked, as were Tejbir and Khandekar. The solo runs by Arjun Halappa were of no avail. In the midfield, Vinaya was conspicuous in his interceptions and passing. He had an able ally in Nitin Kumar. The conversion of penalty corners was below par, and the two obtained in the first half were not taken well.

Interestingly, the Seniors had won by the odd goal in three against the Development team when they played in the league stage of the tournament.

Juniors finish third

A splendid strike by Sunil in the dying minutes capped a convincing 3-1 victory for India Juniors against Tamil Nadu XI giving it a third place. It must be recalled that Tamil Nadu won 4-2 when the teams met on the opening day in the league.

The Juniors were at the receiving end for the major part in the first half during which Sivabalan converted an immaculate penalty corner. The equaliser by Danish Mujtava changed the complexion of the contest, which swayed in favour of the Juniors when Harjeet struck a nice penalty corner. But the best moment for the Juniors was when Sunil, easily one of the promising strikers in the country, waltzed his way through a maze of defenders and capped the effort with a whiplash of a shot that simply bewildered the Tamil Nadu custodian Shanmugasundaram.

Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala presided and gave away the trophy in the presence of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) President K.P.S. Gill and Secreary K. Jothikumaran.

The results (3-4): India Juniors 3 (Danish Mujtava, Harjeet Singh, Sunil) bt Tamil Nadu XI 1 (Sivabalan) Half-Time 0-1.

Final: India Seniors 1 (Gagan Ajit Singh) bt Development team 0. Half-Time 0-0.

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