Asian Games hockey final: Olympic berth at stake for India and Pakistan

S. Thyagarajan

India face Pakistan in Asiad hockey final after 32 years

The charm and craft of hockey in the sub-continent will come alive when India and Pakistan contest for the gold medal here on Thursday. Not since the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing has this come to this stage. That everyone across the continents is looking forward to this tie is an understatement.

It will be foolhardy to visualize the outcome of an India-Pakistan encounter especially of a match of this magnitude. There is no option for the teams than going full steam to win and ensure an Olympic berth.

So it is the road to Rio for the 2016 Olympics.

Quite predictably, the Pakistanis, notably the coach Sheikh Shahnaz, are optimistic of a positive outcome stemming from the 2-1 victory in the preliminary league.

The final, however, is a different ball game. The Pakistanis do possess an attractive forward-line though most of them are individualistic. There is no denying the class of Omar Butta, Haseem Khan and the old warhorse Shakeel Abbasi, who can change the course of a match in a trice. But it needs to be underlined that the midfield is wobbly forcing a lot of pressure on the deep defenders, Muhammad Imran and Ifran Muhammad.

Goalkeeper Imran Butt is solid, and the way he came up in the shoot-out against Malaysia in the semifinals was exemplary, especially after a bloody injury in a penalty corner.

For the Indian coaching establishment, headed by Roelant Oltmans and chief coach Terry Walsh, the level of anxiety over the predictability of the forwards has not diminished a wee-bit.

It is true that the attackers Sunil, Akash and Ramandeep manage to cut through repeatedly but lack of cohesion makes every move innocuous. The strength continues to be the midfield where Gurbaj, Sardar and Kothajit work hard with Birendra Lakra rising to the occasion.

Goalkeeper Sreejesh has not been tested so far but shoulders a lot of responsibility, especially in penalty corners. The injury to Chandi and Rupinderpal did weaken the team but the latter made a brief comeback against Korea.

For those statistically minded, Tuesday’s clash will be the 160th match between the teams. At the Asian Games it will be 13th meeting with three victories for India, two drawn and eight defeats. If figures can speak they do eloquently for Pakistan.

But a modicum of methodic efficiency coupled with sharp finish will make the day for India truly memorable.