Sept. 14: It was all down to the nerves in the end. Deepak Thakur failed to control his as Indian Oil Corporation went down to Air India in a shootout in the final of the 84th MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup all-India hockey tournament. After the match entered the tiebreaker with a 1-1 deadlock, nine strokes were spot on except the IOC skipper’s.

There was no need for Air India goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza to make a stop as the visibly-tense Thakur tamely rolled the ball in at snail’s pace. Even as a desolate Thakur started his long walk back to his team dugout, Air India’s players were flying high with joy. Ironically, it was the IOC skipper who had strained every nerve to steer his team into the final. Though his teammates put their hands around Thakur in a show of commiseration, he knew that he had blown it.

In the final analysis, no one would begrudge the direction the title headed to. Air India were not extraordinary throughout the tournament, but they were always steady. Unlike their final opponents, they advanced to the final without breaking a sweat. IOC, on the other hand, were never able to pull their weight as a team in any of the matches including the big one.

The Sunday special never rose to the dizzying heights the two best teams in the country were capable of taking it into. The man of the final was, without a trace of doubt, Air India’s Shivendra Singh. His magical piece of play early in the second half will be treasured by all present for a long time.

V. Raghunath had put IOC ahead with a well-disguised penalty corner effort a few minutes before the break. Air India needed a response and what a reply it turned out to be! With the ball glued to his stick, Shivendra left his marker, Sunil Yadav, for dead by lifting the ball near the 25-yard line and sprinted into the dee from the right side. Shivendra passed the ball to an unmarked Bruno who in turn relayed it Prabodh Tirkey, whose finish was emphatic.

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ASIAN AGE

BY T.N. RAGHU