The Indian hockey team, led by Sardar Singh, left here on Friday night with the players having heavy hearts but steeled will.

A controversial cancellation of the penalty stroke in the dying minutes marred what was truly another India-Pakistan hockey classic. At that stage, defending champions India were trailing 4-5 against the last year’s finalist.

If India had been awarded the stroke and they had scored, anything could have been possible. A dejected and distraught India went off the pitch in anguish but returned to complete the formality of the match, which had only two and half minutes left from the finish. Pakistan went on to claim the title.

The entire Indian team, including chief coach Miachel Nobbs, was enraged at the reversal of the decision by South Korean umpire Dong Yun Shin after the consultation with the third umpire.

Danish Mujtaba, an Indian player who was involved in the incident, had fetched India a penalty stroke in the round-robin league match against Pakistan as well. Before leaving for India, the forward said in a low and dejected tone: “If we had been lost fair and square, we won’t have been so upset. The incident will keep rankling in the minds and hearts.

“If we had been given the stroke, we might have scored and pressed the extra-time to go on to win the final too. The aggressive way we’re playing, I mean anything could have happened,” added Mujtaba.

But the young forward said the two losses in a row in crucial matches have fired the team up ahead of the India-Pakistan Test series. In March, Pakistan will travel to India to play five Test matches. India would go on the return visit in May.

“Now, we’re more than determined to make amends for these double blows and would prove that we’re coming back in a big way,” added Mujtaba, echoeing the general sentiments prevailing in the team.

Earlier, this month in Melbourne, India, with eight changes in the team that finished a disappointed 12th and last in the London Olympic Games in August, exhibited some sizzling hockey in the prestigious FIH Champions Trophy and reached the semi-finals, after topping their group.

But after having lost the semi-final match to Australia, it clashed with Pakistan in the bronze medal match. Pakistan managed to pip India, using their vast experience.

In the similar way, India topped the pool in Doha too. But Pakistan unseated holders India in the Asian Champions Trophy final as well.

In the 2012, both India and Pakistan played five matches. India won three but Pakistan won both the crucial classification play-offs.

The Indian team can pat at their back for some fine displays in the post Olympic Games period. As many as eight players had to be drafted after the debacle in London and the team is certainly producing some stirring stuff. The team has got a strong core and with the time, the players are likely to gel more.

There are three months for chief coach Nobbs to prepare the team for the bilateral series and that is expected to be a good test of the young guns of India.

Article Courtesy: Raajiv Tripathi, Doha