We have a foreign coach. Then we have a new brainwave called ‘National Coach’. We have, as we were told when the team was selected, six defenders in the team.
So, what is happening on the pitch. Strictly speaking, nothing.
Indian team not only lost the match, but also the manner it did so, lost the confidence of hockey fans as well.
It looks each defenders’ job is to gift a goal!
We tamely lost to Australia 5-2 in March last and after six months, nothing seemed to have changed in hockey. The score line is a worrisome repeat. Conceding two soft goals in the first five minutes, India went down tamely 5-2 to Australia to day at the Commonwealth Games.
Till two years ago, that is, before Ric Charlesworth took over the coaching reigns, we were also habitual losers to Australia but not the type of scoreline we have been witnessing in the last one year.
There may be endless explanations, countless factors, but the fact of the matter is, about 15,000 plus crowd who came to cheer and pep up hockey, went disheartened.
This is the highest crowd for any of the 12 stadia that had been built in Delhi for the CWG, but a at the same time severest of humiliations too.
To be fair enough India played beautifully for about 20 minutes in the second part of the first half, and then played as if their mind is not there in the match.
A silly, school boy mistake in the opening minutes by Dhananjay Mahadik yielded first taste of the goal for the Australians. On the top his own circle, he delayed and double-minded on a clearance, which Des Abbot snatched and put it across golaie Bharat Chetri.
Four minutes later, Trent Mitton made use of another sloppy clearance on the right flank, to finish the ball inside the net. The two easy goals, called free goals by coach Jose Brasa, should have upset any team, but it was not. India, ably prompted by Arjun Halappa and Vikarm Pillay, on in the midfield made continuous onslaught, catching the Australians on wrong foot.
Tushar, midway through, sprinted with the ball and made strong reverse shot that whistled past the goalie to the net. The 2-1 scoreline looked in the fitness of things. However, on resumption the Australians were all over the Indian area.
in the 48th minute Eddie Ockenden scored before six minutes later Liam De Young entered his name on the scoreboard. Now it was the turn of Glen Turner to turn in the ball into the cage after Luke Doener took the drag off Australia’s one of six penalty corners.
In the dying moments, an Australian forward kicked the ball with his heels in his hurry to clear an Indian attach near the top of the circle, which led to India’s penatly corner out of which Sandeep Singh scored to bring the score on level with World Cup.
The match result must have heartened the heart of Jamie Dwyer, who played his 250th goal today.