Build on the positives India

Build on the positives, India

When Ravi Pal Singh came as a late substitute and soon whacked whiplash of a shot from top of the circle, the Indian chances of coming back to the game – which seemed slipping from then — looked imminent.

When that beautiful goal came, India had all the time in the world to make a match of it against the much sharper and sturdier New Zealanders. It had six valuable minutes at its disposal, that one sixth of the total time of the match duration indeed, and things could have gone Indian way.

It was India’s first match, a match that must have been watched on the small screens by lot of people back home, and the match did not do any world of good.

The last six minutes after Ravi Pal’s goal turned the tables on India instead.

Its quite some time since India conceding late goals – a contribution of Jose Brasa – but the ugly head rose again. India in fact did not concede a goal in the last minute as it used to be in the pre-Brasa India, but at the last second.

Its ironical Indian goalie just came out successfully in a stoke duel, though umpire did not give a goal, the goal board went for a while to 6-3 score before it was restored to 5-3. But the last second goal again brought a shy on India.

If you leave out those minutes in which ultimate loser India forgot it is playing in a new format, the Hockey 9s, the match was not that bad as it turned to be from Indian perspective.

Till then India converted a penalty corner – one a few of them were made into goal on the first day of the International Super Series – Sardar’s class showing in every second of that peach of a goal. Earlier he sent a beautiful parallel pass to right winger, who failed to trap, but for that, it was all goal bearing pass.

PR Sreejesh managed to ward off a one to one penalty play out.

Young Walmiki was utterly unlucky not to see his name on the score board, his shot in the 21st minute just hissed the right post, India was distinctly unlucky.

Then came the best moment of the match.

Three minutes before hooter, Gurbaj was pressing on the right side. Even as the aerial ball was inching to cross the baseline, he used all his commonsense to whack it like a tennis player, in the air, which made the ball’s trajectory towards the goalie, and unfortunately no forward was wiser and more alert than the goalie to put it inside.

India has to now consolidate the gains and go for the Kill tomorrow against the traditional rivals, Pakistan, who at present looks like a better team.