Second loss for India in similar and familiar way
Yesterday India deserved to lose. Its a case reverse today. Its pity yet India lost today much like the yesterday’s fashion – conceding winner in the dying moments. India lost a game which it should have at least drawn. On action day two in The Hague, India 1 England 2 in a game in which the losing side dominated most part. Indian improved by leaps and bound in almost every department of the game, but the habitual errors at the closing moments of either half did not go away, with the result that it gifted England an outright win in game two of the The Hague World Cup.
India dominated the field of play in the first 15 minutes or so, in which it got three penalty corners, but did not capitalize. Twice Rupinder Pal Singh and once VR Raghunath negotiated with poor results. On the contrary, England converted its first one that came against the run of play. It was in the 25th minute. At that time the penalty count for India was nil out of three while it was one out of one for the ultimate victors.
It was a rank bad tackle, ‘marking blue’ by Yuvraj Walmiki that led to the award of penalty corner outside the D area.
India was lucky when Tom Carson scooped high the team’s next penalty corner that it got when just 35 sec left for lemon time.
India also successfully defended another short corner in the 37th minute, and thereafter it was India that kept the Barry Middleton’s boys in check.
Playing cool hockey, almost bordering European brand, India constructed moves with precision from either flank, keeping their goalie George Pinner busy.
Akashdeep Singh once, Mandeep Singh twice, Sardar Singh a piece missed to strike in the second half. Gurbaj Singh was the king pin who engineered many upfront moves at this spell.
As the match was slipping towards a draw, England did not give up, launched a feeble attack, but turned to be hard with bad tackle from momentarily shaky Indian defence.
When just one minute and 21 seconds left Mantell struck to give him team a great comeback after drawing 1-1 against Spain yesterday.