Pak caught in Indian fourtress

Prabhjot Singh

Tribune News Service

India trounce Pak in opener

Playing their hearts out, Indian hockey players could not have given the nation a bigger Holi gift than a mesmerizing 4-1 win over Pakistan to make a winning start in the 12th World Cup here tonight.

The win, their third in World Cup games against Pakistan, got the team a standing ovation from a nearly three-fourth filled Major Dhyan Chand National Hockey Stadium. And there were many in the stands who had witnessed as members of the 1982 Asian Games team had suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Pakistan. They had tears, for Rajpal Singh, and his men had taken sweet revenge on what was India’s day.

While the hero of home team’s triumph was definitely drag flicker Sandeep Singh, but to be honest none could be singled out as everyone played the game of their lives. Goalkeeper Sreejesh did a wonderful job under the bar while Sardar Singh, Sandeep Singh, Gurbaj, Vikram Pillay, Prabhjot Singh, Shivendra Singh, Deepak Thakur and skipper Rajpal Singh, for example, peaked at the right moment.

Best hockey by the home team was in the first 20 minutes. It was perhaps the best ever show by the Indian team in past two decades.

IOA president Suresh Kalmadi was on hand to announce a cash award of Rs 1 lakh to each member of the team as well as its supporting staff. And the Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, MS Gill, again proved to be lucky for India. It was after he took over that India won its first ever individual Olympic gold at Beijing. And today, he was here to watch the game.

If Pakistan were outplayed, it was partially because luck did not side with them. Sohail Abbas, the most dreaded drag flicker from penalty corners in contemporary hockey, had two of his powerful flicks hitting the crosspiece and bouncing back into play. He could score only once from six penalty corners. Their other star performer Rehan Butt, too, could not make any dent in the solid Indian defence where man-to-man marking was seen to be believed.

Though Pakistan had made attempts to stage a comeback in the second half after Shivendra Singh and Sandeep had given India a 2-0 lead at the breather, yet they could not do much against an inspired Indian defence.

But Prabhjot’s brilliant opportunist goal after Arjun Halappa’s attempt had been blocked by Pakistani custodian Salman Akbar had given the home team a 3-0 lead with 31 minutes of the game remaining.

And when Sandeep struck from the fifth penalty corner, the issue had been safely clinched with Pakistanis, leg weary, as they looked, could not get past Indian defence. And Sohail, too, did not help them much.

Neither in 1982, when India played host to the World Cup for the first time, nor in 1992 when Pakistan became the host, the two traditional rivals did get a chance to play each other. Though Pakistan won the title in Mumbai in 1982, they had to contend themselves with runners-up slot while playing host to the 1992 edition in Lahore.

India did not name its skipper Rajpal Singh and main goaltender Adrian D’ Souza in the starting XI. Even Deepak Thakur was also excluded.

Excitement in the stands was understandable as it was after along gap that any Pakistani national team was playing in India. Last time was the 2006 Test series. With an enthusiastic and supportive crowd at its back, the home team started on an impressive note. Dishing out immaculate hockey, Indians not only excelled in their skillful bursts, precision and perfect coordination and understanding, but also had the Pakistanis tied in a knot for the first 20 minutes.