Battle of equals end in draw

Uthra G Chaturvedi

Sharing almost the entire Indian team between them, Jharkhand and Haryana are undboutedly the favourites in women’s hockey at the National Games here. And with both teams having qualified for the semifinals, a draw between them was perhaps the most logical conclusion to the last league match in competition.
But more important than the 2-2 result was the atmosphere. And going by the kind of support hockey has garnered throughout the competition so far — especially during Jharkhand matches, when not just the stands but even treetops and rooftops of adjoining buildings are packed — it wont be too far fetched to label the game Jharkhand’s official sport.

On Monday, the stands filled up well before the game started, and the match stayed true to expectations. Coached by former India striker Pritam Siwach, Haryana boast the Indian strikeforce of Rani Rampal, Ritu Rani and Surinder Kaur, and they stuck to their attacking style. Runners-up at the national championships last month, Haryana have been strengthened by the return of most of their players who were playing for eventual winners Railways.

And it reflected in their game. With fast attacks and counter-attacks, the Haryana girls created space upfront and got the first break in the 20th minute, through Rani Rampal’s PC. The scores were level two minutes later when Subhadra Pradhan scored for Jharkhand.

The Jharkhand team, on the other hand, has some of the best Indian defenders in recent times and thus they were seen relying more on counter attacks. The match was also a reaffirmation of the kind of hockey that dominates in different areas of the country. Jharkhand play defensive, they are more about keeping the opposition tied; Haryana are aggressive, taking the fight to the opposition.

The second half was no different, with Haryana again going ahead through captain Surinder, and Jharkhand not ready to be left out, again leveled through Subhadra’s PC (53 rd). The momentum was maintained throughout and it was only through some impressive goalkeeping by Helen Mary that Jharkhand managed to pull off a draw. The most impressive player, though, was Chanchal Devi — originally from Manipur but playing for Jharkhand here — with her ball control, accurate passes and ability to find the gaps.

But areas of concern remain. Despite the core of the Indian team in action and some vociferous support, the largely missing midfield — considered the heart of any hockey team — was glaring. There wasn’t much of a plan, and the teams, specially Haryana, seemed to be playing purely on experience than anything else.The fitness levels too are a worry, as are the number of chances that went missing.