With stroke of pluck, India in final
uthraGchaturvedi
Tushar Khandker isn’t too expressive with his emotions in public, but Tuesday was an exception. Eighty-five minutes of sheer pace and action and 10 heart-stopping strokes later, the Indian sometime-midfielder-sometime-striker had moist eyes. The Indian hockey team had made their maiden Games final, past a stubborn England.
He wasn’t the only one fighting back tears. The man of the moment was custodian Bharat Chetri, who hadn’t had the best of the tournament, and wasn’t expected to do miracles. But when he palmed off Glenn Kirkham’s stroke during the penalty shootout, Chetri added his name to the list of Indian hockey heroes who, under intense pressure, put up their hand for the job.
Thanks to the save, India nudged past England 8-7 (5-4) to set up a title clash with Australia on Thursday. The sign that it could be India’s day came early, as England’s most dependable player Ashley Jackson, spot on at other times, failed to connect to a simple cross from James Tindall in front of an open goal.
The English were on the attack from the word go and the hosts appeared under pressure initially. But after the first 10 minutes, the hosts turned the tide and soon the game was played more in England’s half. India, threatening to score any moment, took the lead in the 18th. The goal came off a penalty corner when Vikram Pillay’s dummy and Dhananjay Mahadik’s shot was saved by England keeper James Fair, only for an alert Sarvanjit Singh to tap it in. Without being too flashy, India had taken firm control of the situation.
“India played much better throughout the match and they deserved to be in the final, even before the penalty strokes,” said coach Jose Brasa.
The architects of India’s win were many, but the foundation was laid by the veterans Pillay and Arjun Halappa. Khandker and Sarvanjit, supported by Gurbaj Singh and Danish Mujtaba, built on it, even as the rear was safeguarded by Sardar Singh, Sandeep Singh and Mahadik. Clearly it was a team effort.
Yet at one stage, it seemed like another disappointment was on the cards. England were not going to let their first chance at a final spot slip away so easily. Jackson leveled at the stroke of half-time, doubled it through another penalty corner in the second half, and Simon Mantell made it 3-1 in the 45th minute.
That was the only phase when the Indians tried to fall back, and paid the price. The most ardent fan would have feared the worst, but it was then that this team showed their mettle. They switched gears, went on the offensive and decided to take the fight to the opposition. England were taken by surprise. The reward came in the 56th minute when Vikram made it 2-3 off a Sandeep hit and Sarvanjit added to his tally four minutes later.
Fair not enough
After that, there was only one way for the Indians — forward. The hosts kept attacking, only to be denied by the English goalkeeper Fair.
“For the last two goals that helped us level scores, we should thank the crowd,” said Shivendra. And if it wasn’t for Fair, the game would have ended in regulation time. The story continued in extra-time and then came the dreaded strokes. It was perhaps the first time an India match has gone that far at a major event since 1998 Asiad. Back then, it was Ashish Ballal who emerged as the star. This time, it was Chetri.