Time to consolidate positives in The Hague
Its long time since Spaniard Jose Brasa left the scene that did any Indian team play with a structure, purpose and came near to winning against higher ranked teams as the they did so in the last two matches that India had played in the Hague, so far.
It was excellent defence in the first half that kept Indian chances alive till that fateful last minute against Belgium. How we lost in the last seconds, ‘otherwise we could have drawn’ is one view, but that is not THE view, certainly not the reality.
Did anyone write in the curtain raisers that India will upset Belgium? None.
We were almost ready to, and were expected to lose considering the recent history, but we came nearly to upset them with a draw is a positive occurrence.
The fact of the matter is that India fought back after conceding first goal. The way it regrouped and took lead capitalizing rival’s pressure, and almost threatened with a draw against a team which is tipped to be top four here, speaks volume of the improvement the team have made. It may fall short now, but will only pick up.
Second outing was a chances galore. India showed glimpses of what it has achieved in the last six months since Australian Terry Walsh took over the coaching mantle. There was method in its approach, with over-enthusiasm in check, cautious build ups to the fore, each player doing what they are expected of instead of blind runs.
These do augur well.
England was rustic, and India made use of it. Our positioning, mode and consolidation of attack, less enthusiastic individual but controlled flow from them, were all there to see.
The story would have been different had we converted early changes, read three consecutive penalty corners, but that the way the game is.
Winning and losing matters. But there is life beyond that. The manner we played, the method we adopted to, the idea we are improving or declining, are the factors that count for the future of hockey.
The world cup is a long drawn out affair. Indian team has shown promise with a clear change of play format.
Indians want to play like Europeans do. Its their long cherished dream. Here is one team that is really playing that way, though results do not match the effort.
One or two players do cross the instructions or limits, there are unforced errors unlike top ranked teams, but the signs are that things can only improve.
Terry Walsh says countries like Belgium worked ten years or so to reach this, and we cannot dream to jump ladders to be at top, which is not done, not practical.
There is wisdom in his words.
Instead of bogged down down by the results, and the manner those went against us, its time to go further and stay focussed, much like the players do.
Simply because, there is lot of character in the current team