Classic goals mark and make up WSH
Classicism and longevity of legends never fade. These quite often came to the fore in the ongoing World Series Hockey. The landmark 50th encounter at Bhopal on Tuesday featured even better on this count.
On Tuesday at Bhopal, a hockey bastion, three contemporary greats churned out great stuff, such beautiful goals that hockey seemed to have been enriched and enchanted because of them.
Arjun Halappa, Len Aiyappa and Badshahs’ Waseem Ahmad, no way young enough in terms of their legs and lungs, summoned all their years of expertise to lift the game to another level. For those who witnessed the match are the lucky one, so to say.
Each of them scored one or more classic, copy book goals to lift the crucial encounter to a superlative level, creating in its wake a vintage and spectacular variety like of which has become hard to come by in the fast and furious brand of hockey, somewhat branded and hailed ‘modern hockey’.
Anybody who watched the Tuesday encounter between Badshahs and Lions would have been awe struck with the hat-trick of Len Aiyappa, and they cannot be faulted for this, as the Coorgi has done wonder with the ball, which tilted the match in Lions favour, and they are almost into the semis after having a torrid start.
However, the beauty of hockey is not results, but beauty of goals, how conceived and accomplished. Otherwise, high scoring matches between strong and weak teams, say Thailand Vs India, would have been talked about but not tight ones.
Both teams were struggling to score in their anxiety to keep their citadel in tact in the match on Tuesday.
Resurgent Lions went up in the 25th minute; it showcased the artistic class for which Arjun Halappa is known for. Young Naveen Kumar sent a week pass into the circle, a half chance, thought many. But for Arjun, easily the most capped Indian player right now, it was a chance to grab. He showed clean pair of heels to a couple of defenders, and then spotting custodian Baljit Singh advancing too early than expected, scooped over his head, and, hold it, it did not fall on the outside top net which often the case in such situations, but took high vertical journey before taking required tangent to reach the net. The trajectory spoke of Arjun’s class.
Not to be undone, veteran Waseem Ahmad did an Arjun in their fight back. For long known as a player maker, Waseem, equally the most capped player across the border, shone as a forward. On this occasion, in a penalty corner sequence, moving with the pushed ball till drawing goalie Devesh Chauhan, who otherwise had an excellent outing, adequate enough for a safe goal, over his head.
Both Baljinder Singh and Karan Baskaran had a pathetic penalty corner show, still this Waseem could strike one, teaching a lesson or two to the youngsters.
Whatever Len did was truly remarkable, but Arjun and Waseem enriched the visual pleasure of hockey, no doubt on that.
Gagan Ajit, Philip Sunkel, Mario Almada too showcased their scoring prowess in amble measure, making the WSH a spectators’ delight despite the fact most ‘India’ players were forced to miss.