K ARUMUGAM
CR Kumar understandably was pleased as punch after India’s quarterfinal win over the Netherlands in the 2023 FIH MJWC in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
“It was a very exciting match. Everyone thought it would be one-sided at halftime but our players played their hearts out and recovered very well,” the head coach said.
“We used our chances, missed a few, but deserve to be in the semifinals ”
He praised defender and player of the match Rohit for his superb rushing out at penalty corners. Kumar also lauded goalkeeper Mohith for his role in the victory.
Reflecting on the match India won against The Netherlands at the Bukit Jalil stadium, Kumar said: “From videos, we learned that the Dutch play the first two quarters very well. Their defence then takes over. We knew that if we didn’t concede goals in the first half, we could perform in the second.
“We attempted to deny them space as far as possible but we can’t close doors all the time.
“Our first two goals came at the right time to stage a recovery after conceding two goals before halftime.”
About semifinal opponents Germany, Kumar acknowledged the six-time champions as a good side. “They fought well to win against Argentina. We have played them recently twice but they won both matches. We expect them to be overconfident but we’ll make them work hard for space and possession with a refined approach,” the cool and composed Kumar said.
Was the quarterfinal the toughest match in the campaign so far? “Yes,” said Kumar. India lost to Spain 1-4 in the pool but Kumar attributed that to failure to capitalize on chances and Spain making good of theirs.