Not a very ‘Happy Birthday’ for Lalit Upadhaya

Bhubaneswar: The match between India and Australia in the Hockey World League Finals was special for more than one reason.

First, it was coach Sjoerd Marijne’s first experience for India against the ‘mighty’ powers of Europe and Oceania. He had so far only guided the team against the Asian circuit and emerged successful with a gold in Asia Cup, his maiden tour as a coach.

Second, it was skipper Manpreet Singh’s 200th appearance for the country. Describing it as a ‘long journey,’ Manpreet who has been a constant since his debut in 2011 said he was ‘satisfied’ with his performance.

Last but not the least, the match coincided with the birthday of Lalit Upadhaya, who is part of the local franchise Kalinga Lancers and a favourite of the crowd.

A 1-1 draw might mark a decent start for Team India, but Lalit feels, it a not-so ‘happy’ birthday for him.

“It might not be the best gift. We could have sone better. In fact, we could have won. Nothing except a win is satisfactory,” he told stick2hockey, after the match.

“The energy was there, the pace was right but we missed chances. Had we availed then, things would have been different.”

India will next play against England on Saturday. England had earlier lost their match 2-0 against Germany.