CWG hockey: It will be India forwards vs England defence
Shashank Shekhar

NEW DELHI: In sport, a low often comes after the high. The Indian think-tank will keep this in mind when they take on England in the second semifinal match of the men’s field hockey on Tuesday.

Sunday’s exhilarating and much-celebrated 7-4 win over Pakistan was a super peak both for the fans and the players. The hangover would have lingered. But Tuesday will be a different and tougher challenge and India will have to jettison the past and make good of the present.

England have made rapid strides in 2010 and have risen to fourth in world rankings after hovering in the middle rungs for long. After ending a creditable fourth in the World Cup here in the Capital earlier this year, England surprised pundits with a runners-up finish in the Champions Trophy in August.

At the World Cup, India lost 2-3 to England in a closely-fought group game. The latter have consolidated since then while ninth-ranked India too are looking a more incisive side. Thus, a battle royale in on the cards in which contrasting styles will be on show.

Pakistan gave India the space. England won’t. “England will be much tighter and smarter and will be look to play the percentage game. They will also handle crowd pressure better than Pakistan did. The semifinal will not be an open game like we had against Pakistan. So, we’ll have to employ a different plan,” said Indian captain Rajpal Singh.

The hosts are not relying on one or two individuals to get goals. While drag-flicker Sandeep Singh is prolific with penalty-corner conversions, forwards Tushar Khandkar, Shivendra Singh, Dharamvir Singh and Saravanjit Singh have shown they are not goal-shy. The battle between the Indian forwards and England’s defence will have a big influence on the game.

Having said that, India will have to keep a close watch on James Tindall and Simon Mantell, the free-scoring English forwards. And cut their goal vision.