Indian Oil is crowned champion
Principal Correspondent
In a keenly-contested summit clash, both sides were tied 2-2 after the regulation period. Drag-flicker Gurjinder Singh played a crucial role in the win with his accurate slapshot as Thakur deflected in the winner in the 72nd minute to guide Indian Oil to its fourth title in the prestigious event. The victorious team bagged Rs. 2.5 lakh in prize money.
Earlier this season, Indian Oil emerged champion in important events like the Surjit Singh tournament and the Beighton Cup. Besides, the team was joint winner of the MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup.
Gurjinder, who was later declared best player of the tournament, was the main difference between the two evenly-matched sides. Predictably, Indian Oil tried to penetrate the circle with an aim to garner as many penalty corners as possible and rely on the firepower of the young penalty corner expert. Gurjinder (14th) provided the breakthrough as his low flick found the defender’s stick before sounding the board.
Own goal
Bharat Petroleum did not have to wait long for the equaliser as Jarnail Singh got enough space to hit home two minutes later.
The Indian Oil frontline attempted several moves from the right, but many of them were blocked by the Bharat Petroleum custodian Swinder Singh.
However, Swinder had a nightmarish moment when Gurjinder’s powerful shot from 30 yards touched his foot before rolling into the post. The ‘own goal’ gave Indian Oil a 2-1 lead at half-time.
The Bharat Petroleum players scripted some attacking moves, but were unable to convert any. Tushar Khandker failed to cash in on a fabulous opportunity before the break, while Hari Prasad was unlucky to miss the target despite a spectacular diving effort, in the second half.
Bharat Petroleum moved the ball well on the left flank and maintained constant pressure on the Indian Oil defenders. Ravipal’s fine long ball resulted in a short corner and Gurpreet Singh levelled the scores in the 49th minute. Indian Oil struck early in extra time to record its second consecutive win through a golden goal.
Praises
Indian Oil coach Ramesh Parameshwaran praised his team for giving good performances despite going through a tough schedule.
“It is difficult to sustain the level of your game when you play back-to-back matches. Our target was to win penalty corners and make the best use of Gurjinder. We succeeded in our strategy,” said Parameshwaran.
Meanwhile, the Nehru Hockey Tournament Society (NHTS) decided to ban Air India from the tournament for one year.
The Air India players had walked off the pitch after protesting a goal scored against them in their semifinal against Bharat Petroleum on Saturday.