Inspired India steamrollers Pakistan
S. Thyagarajan
NEW DELHI: What a sensational start it turned out to be for India, and earlier for England, in the Hero Honda hockey World Cup at the Dhyan Chand Stadium on Sunday.
Amidst the glorious ambience surcharged with emotion and a packed gathering in full-throated support for the home team, India, displaying a rare show of vibrancy, vigour and variegated patterns, held Pakistan in a thrall to chalk out a 4-1 victory in Pool B.
Cash award
The win brought the team members and support staff a reward of Rs. one lakh from IOA President Suresh Kalmadi.
Earlier, England sunk Aussie hopes in a pulsating tussle for a 3-2 win, while Spain struggled to beat South Africa 4-2.
India’s dominance in the first half was absolute. Almost every layer performed with palpable efficiency. Picking one or two could well be taken as invidious.
Total team-work
The link between the layers was impressive as was the individual work. Both the midfielders — Vikram Pillay and Arjun Halappa — proved a tower of strength as did Gurbaj inside the circle. The confidence with which Gurbaj managed to smother the few Pakistani attacks stood out.
Rajpal Singh and Prabhjot Singh burst into attack repeatedly with Sardar Singh and Gurvinder Singh Chandi as able allies. The attack was fluent, ferocious and functional in forcing the rival defenders to slip into errors.
The first thrill came when a brilliant shot by Tushar Khandekar unsettled the usually unflappable Salman Akbar.
A withering penalty corner by Diwakar Ram was stopped well by Akbar but midway through India surged into the lead. A fluent penalty corner drive by Sandeep Singh was stopped by Akbar and Shivendra Singh hit the target.
Sandeep slots in two
Almost near half-time India earned another penalty corner from a referral when only five seconds remained.
Sandeep Singh produced a glorious ground shot to give India the second goal.
Immediately after resumption Chandi wove his way down the line and crossed which prompted a scrimmage that culminated in Prabhjot slotting in the third. Man-of-the-match Sandeep added another to the tally.
Pakistan had one penalty corner in the first half but Sohail’s shot hit the crosspiece. In the second half an attempt by Akhtar Ali went over the post. Sohail’s second penalty corner hit the crosspiece again. But late in the match, the Pakistani ace pumped in a fluent one leaving Sreejesh, whom coach Brasa preferred for this tie, clueless.
The Pakistani attack built up intense pressure and a penalty corner drive by Sohail was well saved by Sreejesh.
Fairly outstanding
Earlier, England’s morale was sustained largely by the outstanding work under the bar by James Fair. Intrepid, imaginative and exceedingly agile, Fair was a picture of confidence, effecting saves from the direct and indirect attempts in penalty corners with beaming nonchalance.
The Aussies, who forced 13 penalty corners, tried everything that coach Charlesworth could conceive but nothing could disturb the composure of the English custodian. The Aussies went ahead first, after being unsuccessful with four penalty corners in 20 minutes, from a stroke. A stick check on Jamie Dwyer resulted in a stroke and he converted without fuss.
But European champion England raised the pace and subdued the Aussie defence. Ashley Jackson flicked in a flawless penalty corner and James Tindall smashed the ball into the boards without a semblance of resistance.
Tindall struck again after a sinuous run. The ball hit the post and rolled back. He tapped it in on the run again.
The Aussies stepped up the pressure in the last quarter and managed to constrict the margin with a goal by Dwyer when four minutes remained.
Laborious
Earlier, Spain had to strive hard, bordering on the laborious, to outsmart a more aggressive and athletic South Africa. The margin gives an exaggerated look of Spain’s performance in Pool B.
Notwithstanding the fluent runs by Pol Amat, the most recognizable star in the side, the Spanish sallies carried no element of threat. Added to this was an inaccurate finish.
When South Africa struck through Julian Hykes, whose ball control was commendable, the match reflected the trend — Spain struggling against the more enthusiastic rival bunch.
Julian Hykes’s strike injected an element of verve into the Spanish attack. Amat paved the way for the equaliser with a terrific drive which goalkeeper Erasmus saved. But Roc Oliva showed the sense of opportunism to flick the rebound in.
Thereafter, Spain enjoyed a brief spell of territorial dominance and enlarged the lead when David Alagre completed a smart solo run. Ian Hayley made good use of a penalty corner rebound to level 2-2 at half-time.
First referral
The first referral of the championship came when the South Africans questioned the goal by Rodrigo Garza. The third umpire confirmed the goal.
The only enervating moment for Spain came in the final minutes when Pan Quemada produced a stunner of a flick into the net.
Another notable event surfaced in the 20th minute when the Irish umpire, Coil Hutchinson, pulled a muscle and was substituted by the Malaysia’s Amartjit Singh.
The results:
Pool B: Spain 4 (Roc Oliva, David Alagre, Rodrigo Grza, Pan Quemada) bt South Africa 2 (Julian Hykes, Ian Hayley). HT 2-2.
England 3 (Ashley Jackson, James Tindall 2) bt Australia 2 (Jaime Dwyer 2). HT 2-1.
India 4 (Shivendra Singh, Sandeep Singh 2, Prabhjot Singh) bt Pakistan 1 (Sohail Abbas). HT 2-0.
Monday’s matches:
New Zealand v Canada (4.35 p.m.); Germany v Korea (6.35 p.m.); Netherlands v Argentina (8.35 p.m.).