PSB will be the team to beat

It will fancy its chances when it takes on defending champion Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on Saturday in the semifinals

Leading 3-1 against IOB the other day, and already assured of a place in the semifinals of the 89th All-India MCC Murugappa Gold Cup hockey tournament here, Punjab & Sind Bank (PSB) didn’t let complacency seep into its system, one that could happen to any top team.

Roughly four minutes remained for the hooter, when India player and skipper of PSB Sarvanjit Singh picked up a sudden burst of pace from near the centre-line and entered the 25-yard line to pass it to Ramandeep Singh that eventually set up the team’s fourth goal. That initiative from Sarvanjit probably summed up PSB’s intensity and sense of purpose.

In all its four matches in the league, PSB has shown enough evidence that it is playing as a unit.

With Sarvanjit, Ramandeep upfront and Prabheep Singh as left back, the team has always played an attacking game, while guarding its territory quite well.

PSB has been the best team in the tournament and it would fancy its chances when it takes on defending champion Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on Saturday in the last four clash.

Great concern

IOC, on the other hand, has relied too much on former India star forward Deepak Thakur.

It is a matter of great concern that others haven’t been even as half good as Deepak.

Didar Singh and Sunil Yadav, whose skills in penalty corners the team banked on, have been off-colour to say the least. IOC will have to raise its game a notch higher if it harbours visions of a victory.

The other team that has been very sturdy in defence and displayed flair in attack is Army XI. Binoy Bhengra, A.P. Siraju and Chandan Aind have impressed in attack. Defence has withstood the best of attack in the league.

But when it plays a team that is as consistent as Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), Army has to be wary.

CAG’s strength has been its defence. With Bundela (can be handy in penalty corners) and Chandan Singh at the back, CAG can breathe easy. Naemuddin and Imran Khan have maintained a good pace upfront, which means CAG has the ammunition to turn the tables on Army XI.

Of course, the tournament has lost a lot of sheen with many junior and senior India players not taking part in the tournament as they are held up in the National camps.

But it has to be said that the tournament has witnessed a fair share of thrills and high-octane action, and over the next two days, there will be no dearth of quality hockey.