The Hindu : Sport : India’s chances look bleak

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Saturday, Jun 30, 2007
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Sport

Sport

India’s chances look bleak

S. Thyagarajan

After a 2-1 loss to Argentina

Boom (Belgium): Only a morbid optimist will venture into deciphering the chances of India figuring in the final of the men’s hockey Champions Challenge on Sunday against New Zealand. Hope, however, is the elixir of life, and engenders an academic exercise of evaluating the scenario which offers a grim, very, very grim, opportunity to meet the hopes and aspirations of the millions back home and for the die-hard supporters who commute from London, Amsterdam and Brussels to see the Indians in action.

Thursday’s 1-2 reverse against Argentina, however, anguishing it may be, left the road to the final difficult and hazardous for India.

Even a victory against Japan on Saturday in the final set of matches of the league will become superficial if New Zealand and Argentina, who play the earlier tie in the programme, are concerned in a draw.

Tall order

In the event of Argentina losing, then India has a chance provided the victory margin is wide enough to attempt any calculations.

At this point of time, India is clearly three points behind Argentina and minus two goals. Beating the Japanese by a big margin is again a tall order, if at all it comes to that stage.

On Thursday, when everything was ideal — sunny weather, dry pitch and what not — the Indians made a heavy weather of Argentina, missing chances and emerging pathetically in penalty corners.

A dozen of them were not taken advantage of for sheer lack of variation.

True, the trump card, Sandeep Singh, was out on the bench when at least five surfaced, but Dilip Tirkey, with a 100 per cent record till then, was anything but lethal. Flat hitting, however powerful, is insufficient to disturb the tranquillity of goalkeepers at this level. A flick to the left corner at an awesome velocity is the only mode that can meet with some success.

If conversion of penalty corners proved a fiasco, then the attack was worse. At no point did anyone see a harmonious onslaught on the defence.

There were a few fine individual efforts, no doubt. But Roshan Minj, Bharat Chikara, and even Sardara Singh, show needless inhibitions inside the circle. As for Rajpal and Prabhjot, they were too well marked to make any meaningful contribution to the frontline.

Shivendra should have converted the glorious chance midway through. Even Sardara was guilty of frittering an easy chance.

Livid coach

Understandably, Joe Carvalho, the chief coach is livid. He was at a loss to explain the failure to convert a wholesome bag of penalty corners even by a specialist in the field like Sandeep Singh, who had more than five tries at the goal.

He also blamed, and rightly so, the manner in which the team gifted away the second goal which ultimately decided the fate of the encounter.

Even as India’s hopes hinge on the Argentina-New Zealand tie on Saturday, the leader on the table almost suffered the ignominy of a defeat against the host.

Belgium emerged out of the contest with full marks for the fortitude displayed by the team after the humiliation against India.

Enormous significance

The championship itself has assumed enormous significance in view of the forthcoming Olympic qualifiers early next year in New Zealand, Chile and Japan.

This is best exemplified by the presence of a bevy of renowned coaches making careful observations and analysis of the teams on view.

We spotted among the crowd, Australia’s stalwart, Barry Dancer, Netherland’s Roelant Oltmans, China’s Kim Sang Ryul and Malaysia’s Sarjit Singh.

The weekend programme at the Braxgata HC in this charming town of Boom promises a treat to the thousands of enthusiasts who flock the venue daily, giving the whole ambience a carnival atmosphere.

The points table (read as played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):