One last chance

On March 6, 2008, Indian hockey dipped to its nadir in Santiago when the team lost to England in an Olympic qualifying match. Two days later, they lost again to not make it to the quadrennial event for the first time ever.
Exactly two years on, when they take on a rampaging England in their Pool B match of the World Cup on home ground on Saturday, they will be playing with far less at stake, but with a lot more to lose. The European champions are undefeated in the tournament so far and sit pretty at the top of the pool table with nine points, their semi-final spot all but sealed. India, on the other hand, have admitted they are practically out of the race, with just one win in three games. There isn’t, therefore, the burden of expectations to carry anymore.

But there is a lot to lose for this team, including pride. They came into the tournament already being written off, started with a bang against Pakistan and fought bitterly against Australia before succumbing to Spanish guile. Though they still have a mathematical chance, India should actually be looking to put behind qualification hopes and go for a big win.

A win for India will not only put the break on England’s winning spree, it will also provide the necessary impetus to the hosts’ hopes of continuing the learning curve, however steep. There is no doubt that this team is vastly improved from the one at Chile. Coach Jose Brasa has introduced new methods and a new way of thinking, and this will perhaps be the best test for him and his techniques.

Shivendra back

The biggest advantage for India would be the return of Shivendra Singh. It will boost the frontline, which was sloppy against Spain, but a lot also depends on his mental strength after coming off a two-match ban.

The midfield has been impressive and was the only saving grace against Spain. But it will need to perform yet again as England have been winning their games in the middle — with Ashley Jackson, the experienced Ben Hawes and Alastair Wilson doing the hard work. India’s own foursome of Gurbaj, Vikram Pillay Sardar Singh and Arjun Halappa will have to be at their best. The leaky defence, too, needs to be plugged sooner than later.

For England, the bad news is the absence of their talented fullback and penalty corner specialist Richard Mantell, ruled out for the rest of the tournament after suffering a dislocated ankle against Pakistan. At the same time, they are on a roll and will look to keep the momentum against a team who have beaten them repeatedly since that day two years ago, the latest being twice during the Champions Challenge — including in the third-place playoff.

English prefer zonal marking and free space to create their chances, and it is this space that India should look to cramp. The biggest challenge, though, would be rough play the English are notorious for. And with eight in this Indian team being the same as that in Chile — including the entire attack line — and 11 from the English names common to the line-up, it will be an interesting clash on a different turf.

For the past three World Cup games, the Indian team have had a cheering, screaming, shouting crowd of well over 15,000 egging them on, the home conditions that everyone was counting on but which the team have failed to take advantage of. Can they win it for them?