South Africa Test Series: Series won; hearts yet to be

With a spirited second half display, India doused the threatening African fire in time to emerge winners of the fourth test narrowly 4-3 today at the Major Dhyan Chand stadium in New Delhi.

With three wins in four matches India thus clinched the series 3-1 even as a match remains to be played day after tomorrow.

Only the other day the visiting team’s coach stated that their first task in the series is to prevent conceding goals in the first 10, 15 minutes.

His boys today exceeded the quota set by the coach. They saw to it India did not score in the entire first half, and then on a break away move stole a goal too.

In the first 10 minutes, its India all the way. They wove cobwebs and were in the circle quite often. What let them down was the finish, again Yuvraj Walmiki being the culprit in that spell.

However, the lad from Bombay, playing his second match after a brief lay off due to injury, who often failed in trapping the ball in the first came, returned to form in the second half, scoring a brace of goals from close range (44th and 53rd mins).

India was on the back foot for long spells after hard working Justin Reid-Ross put his side in the 14th minute. Then came the opportunistic goal from Walmik, which pepped up the Indian attack.

VR Raghunath neatly converted team’s penalty corner six minutes later, which changed the course of the match. This is the turning point.

In fact, after Raghunath’s feat, goals reined in.

Four goals in the space of 7 minutes (between 50th and 56th)is more than what was expected when the ball was set in motion in a mist evening. Out of these only a lone goal from Ian Haley belonged to the visitors.

Debutant in the series SK Uthappa, despite playing briefly, managed to enter his name on the score board, in the 56th minute. This is his second goal in three matches

Six minutes from the hooter, captain Austin Smith tapped in a aerial ball to the right of goalie Bharat Chetri to make a match of it. At that time when the score read 4-3, the fate of the match hung in balance.

Indians however were alert, and kept up the attacking spree to ward off the Africans, to keep the score line unaffected.

The series has been portrayed as the exercise to prepare team for the forthcoming Olympic Qualifier. This is what the Indian coach is taking pains to make a point. If that is the case, the end scoreline withstanding, things do not go the desired way.

Indian defence buckles quite often, the ordinary way Indian miss the opportunities it created, and the poor penalty corner drills, do not evoke any confidence in the team.

However, Michael Nobbs stands to the ground.

“It is because of first half, we could invest in the second half”, he said. He articulated that the team tired the Africans in the first half, which helped India to make use of subsequently.

On the other hand, the losing teams’ coach Gregg Clark lamented the fact that his team conceded four goals in one half.

If result is the yardstick this is a good one; if performance is the yardstick then it is way below.

India may have won the Series, but the team yet to go a long way to win our hearts.