Time to go for broke against England

NEW DELHI: After two bruising matches, India will have to stand up and fight again, this time against England. There is no time to lick the wounds, no place to hide in this world of marauding stick chargers.

A win over Pakistan raised the expectations of the fans, creating a buzz around the Blue Sticks. In a space of three days, everything has changed. They are not so hot anymore. But let’s not forget that they lost to two of the top three teams in the world. Let’s not forget that half of the team has not played competitive hockey at this level.

This a different league altogether and the Indians’ lack of experience showed against Australia and Spain. Let’s also not forget that India had finished 11th in Monchengladbach World Cup four years ago. At least they are in with a chance to improve upon that.

India coach Jose Brasa said so much on Thursday night. “We can still fight for the fifth position,” he said. The question now is whether the team has the firepower to vindicate the coach’s words by winning against England.

It’s going to be a very tough battle on Saturday night.

England are on a hot streak, having won three matches in a row. They have improved a lot in the past two years and are the reigning European champions.

They play a very physical game – they run hard, are lethal in counter-attacks and are solid in defence.

Australia got a taste of it on the opening day and then Pakistan suffered. Coach Jason Lee has surely done a great job with this bunch.

Lee’s main worry would be the injury to penalty corner expert Richard Mantell who was stretchered away to the hospital after breaking his leg against Pakistan. He would now rely on Ashley Jackson, who has already scored three goals, to do the trick.

India should be wary of England forwards James Tindall and Jonty Clarke who have revelled in latching on to long passes and shooting in a jiffy.

As for India, first the good news: Forward Shivendra Singh will be back in the attack. This would surely add to Brasa’s options as Deepak Thakur, who is not fully fit, has struggled.

Beyond that there are too many loose ends to be tied up. The defence has looked shaky, leaving a lot of empty space around the circle and Spain punished India for the lapses on Thursday night.

Then there is the problem of getting field goals. The forwards will have to go for broke and not rely solely on getting penalty corners. It must be recalled that Australia forced 14 penalty corners against the Englishmen and yet lost 2-3.

India have so far shown that they don’t give up easily. They are once again up against a stronger opponent. It’s up to them to accept the challenge and make a difference.