Adrian D’Souza’s Friday feat evoke Karachi Junior Asia Cup memories

Sporting rivalries last forever. The one that started in the early 2004 in the international forum truly returned 8 years later at Mumbai yesterday to evoke a sporting memory that normally is not relived in hockey.

Am talking about Imran Warsi-Adrian D’Souza feat.

Yesterday, the towering Imran Warsi was done in in what can be described as a fatal Chennai Cheetah’s match. In the last pool match, the Cheetahs needed full points to make it to the semis. On the other hand, it was inconsequential one for the home team Marines, who did not have a good World Series Hockey, but had the instinct to sign off with a win.

Thus both determined sides engaged the full Mumbai crowds in an exciting contest like of which really made WSH a great entity.

Imran Warsi, who has been going great guns with penalty corners, got as many as nine of them on Friday, but could not materially alter the fate of the match to their favour.

The same Warsi who had 19 goals in his credit, and has been the top of the scorers’ list in the last one month, had been blunted by Adrian in the cage. Adrian pulled out a reportoire of tricks from his bag to match each strike of Imran Warsi. The poor fellow, who was hailed Cheetah’s saviour, had to become its casualty, and the man who made this happen was nothing but Adrian.

Much the same way Adrian, then just 20 did in Karachi in the Junior Asia Cup.

Pakistan was led by Shakeel Abbasi, now captaining Delhi Wizards, and India by Marines’ mate Sandeep Michael.

Pakistan was in the final with an emphatic 5-2 win the semis, while India made it to the final with lot of difficulty. Adrian had to save twice in the tie-breaker ordeal to come out of tight South Korea.

So, the final was expected to be a tough one for India, but on April 29, 2004, emerging Imran Warsi met his Waterloo.

Adrian would not allow him any space to him, despite the fact Imran built a formidable name for himself, as he had done in the WSH, drilling goals at will in the entire tournament.

Once Imran was taken care of by Adrian, the Indians grew in confidence and went on to defeat Pakistan in their own den with a thumping 5-2 win.

India won its first Junior Asia Cup with a goal from Sandeep Singh and a hattrick from Tushar Khandker.

True, Imran struck once, but it came after India built of up a comfortable 4-0 half time lead.

Riding on the great performance, Adrian made it to the Athens Olympics in a tough competition.
The same rivalry which was often told by their team mates when the team landed in Delhi, which we could not see for want of Live, had been repeated on Friday at Mahindra Stadium.

Some rivalries never fade. Imran will not forget both Karachi and Mumbai for sure.