Must-win match for Indian women

Y. B. SARANGI

Indian women hockey players, trapped in a do-or-die situation, must be cursing themselves for frittering away a win in their tournament-opener against Ukraine, the lowest-placed side in the Olympic hockey qualifier.

After its 2-5 loss to South Africa, India, which started its campaign on a dismal note by holding Ukraine to a 1-1 draw, slipped to the third spot in the table with seven points.

TOUGH TASK

Now, in its last round-robin fixture on Friday, the host is left with the tough task of beating Italy, positioned second with eight points.

India’s problems are manifold. The major one being the lack of consistency, a point acknowledged by the team even before the start of the tournament. The other area of concern is maintaining momentum against physically stronger teams.

The defeat against South Africa was due to a combination of both these factors.

After playing Poland, the players lacked the stamina and agility to curb the aggressive African champion. The defence left big gaps and allowed the rival strikers to operate freely. The forwards did not have enough firepower to convert the chances that came their way.

The absence of the dashing Anuradha Devi, who will miss at least one more match due to a hamstring injury, came as a big disadvantage. She would constantly invade the opposition citadel from the left flank and complement India’s strong right wing.

NEED OF THE HOUR

Even though India is six places above Italy in world rankings and has won most of the matches between the two sides, the host cannot afford to give anything less than a high intensity performance against the European team which has remained unbeaten in the tournament so far.

In the virtual semifinal, India will have to minimise unforced errors which may cost it possession in crucial moments.

But the biggest challenge for the players will be shedding their indecision inside the rival circle. In all of its four outings, the side has not done justice to its potential due to its untidy approach near the opposition post, be it finishing off moves or taking penalty corners.

The Indians will do themselves a huge favour if they forget the past and focus on the present job. For, the ‘Road to London’ is not very far off.