We beat Pak at their own game, says Harendra
12 Apr 2009 Alok Sinha,TNN

NEW DELHI: There was a quiet, satisfied ring to Harendra Singh’s voice. After the 2-1 win over Pakistan, the Indian coach said that the triumph, l
ike always, would stay with him and the team for quite some time.

“It was a very emotional match. A typical India-Pakistan hockey encounter, fast and furious with a lot of sledging involved. After all the euphoria, we are all feeling drained at the moment,” Harendra told TOI from Ipoh later in the evening.

The coach had much more to say.

Excerpts:

You said that there was a lot of sledging in the match. In fact, there was talk about junior Pakistan players using abusive language during the four-nation meet recently. Was your team ready for all that?

Any India-Pakistan match is always peppered with heated exchanges. It’s part and parcel of the game. But yes, we had planned things out. The idea was to play on their minds. Md Saqlain tried to abuse us and Sardara (midfielder Sardar Singh) gave it back to him. I would say Saqlain lost his cool after that as the Pakistanis made too many unforced errors in the second half. Our gameplan worked. We beat them at their own game.

Were you happy with the tactical play of your team?

Honestly, India-Pakistan matches are more about jigar than tactics. It was literally a semifinal match and we had to win. The boys played from their hearts. It will boil down to tactics in the final against Malaysia.

Dhanraj Pillay is the team’s manager. How much has he contributed in the campaign so far?

Dhan is still an active hockey player and played international hockey just a few years ago. He has been majorly involved in team meetings – in strategizing and motivating the boys. He told them in the morning that if an Indian or Pakistani player has not played against each other, he has not played hockey. ‘Make it a memorable day’, he told them. He was later grinning all through the evening.

Yes, with Dhan around, I’m in a comfort zone.

Would you like to single out players for today’s win?

It’s a team effort. It’s a family – we fight, sort out differences and carry on. The positive thing is that the wavelength is the same. That made a difference today.

I would like to congratulate Indian hockey’s ‘Wall’ Dilip Tirkey for creating a world record for maximum international appearances. If we win the title I would dedicate it to Dilip and SV Sunil. Sunil lost his father midway through the tournament but he has stayed on and he played like a braveheart today. He’s a true champion.

Sandeep Singh was kept out of the team for long. What do you have to say about his performance?

He is not only a match-winner but a tournament winner. Those who kept him out earlier were probably vindictive. I’m happy for Sandeep.

Courtesy: Times of India