India need to cover all bases against Pakistan

IPOH (Malaysia): India will have to cover all their bases when they take on Asian Games champions Pakistan in the Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament on Wednesday.

Asked about the all-important clash, coach Harendra Singh said the players will have to take it as any other match.

“We had positive results against Pakistan last year. We have to keep our cool and hold the nerve. We need to take it as any other match and outwit them. We cannot afford to get emotional on the field. We are here to perform well against all the teams, not only against Pakistan,” Harendra said.

The defence, without the resilient Sardara Singh, has performed admirably specially against an attacking Australia side. Dhananjay Mahadik was adjudged the Man of the Match in that tie for his gutsy show in the back line. Goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza and Bharat Chettri have also stood up to the task.

“The defence has stuck it out well so far, but there is still a lot of play left in the tournament,” Harendra said.

He was all praise for drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh, who has slotted five goals and has made up for the absence of star drag-flicker Sandeep Singh.

“I told him to stick to the basics and not try extravagant things. It will do great for his confidence after the way he has played in the tournament.”

The forward line has muffled some opportunities and Harendra said they need to be consistent. “They rotate the ball with short passes and not involve in individual play.”

It has been a roller-coaster ride for India in the Azlan Shah Cup so far. They began with a 2-3 defeat against co-defending champions South Korea, having squandered a 2-0 lead. India, however, came back strongly and beat Britain (3-1), drew with Australia (1-1) and trounced Malaysia 5-2. They are third on the points table.

Britain top the round robin table with nine points from four matches. Australia are second with seven points followed by India, also on seven, and Pakistan six.

Pakistan began with convincing victories over New Zealand and South Korea by an identical 4-2 scoreline, but slumped to defeats against Britain (2-3) and Australia (1-5). They would be looking to bounce back against India.

India’s recent record against Pakistan is impressive having got the better of them four times last year — World Cup, Commonwealth Games, Azlan Shah and Guangzhou Asian Games. Pakistan, however, won the Asian Games gold and a berth for the London Olympics while India, despite showing potential in the league phase in Guangzhou, had to contend with a bronze.

Harendra Singh also said he has not lost sight of preparing the team for the Champions Trophy and the Olympic qualifiers.

“We have to improve day by day and in all the departments,” Harendra said.