Times of India: U-18 Asia Cup: Strong defence turned India’s fortunes: Kariappa

Sunil Subbaiah

BENGALURU: Delighted after guiding the U-18 Indian hockey team to title triumph at the Asia Cup in Dhaka on Saturday, coach BJ Kariappa said tight defence was the key to its success. “In the short two-week conditioning camp that we had in New Delhi, we chalked out a plan and the boys executed them very well in the tournament. But what turned our fortunes was our strong defence,” Kariappa told TOI on Monday.

Barring skipper Nilam Sanjeep Xess, goalkeeper Pankaj Kumar Rajak and striker Mohammad Umar – who played in the SAF Games earlier this year – the rest of the line-up lacked exposure.

“For most of the players it was their maiden international tournament but they looked absolutely confident throughout,” Kariappa, who was recently appointed as the Hockey India high performance manager of South. “The tournament was a challenge but the players gave their 100 per cent.”

The team started on a poor note, losing to Bangladesh 4-5 in the opener but bounced back beating Oman 11-0 before defeating traditional rivals Pakistan 3-1 in the semifinal clash.

Kariappa said the team were unruffled in their match against Pakistan. “Despite the ongoing tension at the border there was absolutely no pressure on our players when they faced Pakistan. They took the lead and played a near-flawless game to beat them,” he said.

Moving forward, Kariappa is confident these players have a bright future. “There are a lot of talented players in this team. We can build a larger pool which can form the second and third strings at the national level,” he said.

EN ROUTE TO TITLE

India lost to Bangladesh 5-4 (league)

bt Oman 11-0 (league)

bt Pakistan 3-1 (semifinals)

bt Bangladesh 5-4 (final)