Before I start, allow me to congratulate Major Rajyavardhan Rathore for winning our first medal, the silver in double trap shooting. My dear Rathore, you have achieved a great feat and we are all inspired by your win.
With that joyous backdrop, I am sure that the hockey team must have given you lots of anxious and frustrating moments and above all, much pain in the 4-2 victory over South Africa. It was the same for us too. Down by two goals in the early stages of the match was a scary experience. Even my heart could not take such uncalled for excitement, what to talk about the people out there who put so much faith on us.
But we were finally able to garner three points and stay in contention for the semi-finals. Given the level of competition, it will be tough even for Holland and Australia, who found it out the hard way on Tuesday. No team can take things for granted and will have to face a challenge from the so-called dark horses. Although it adds much excitement, it can also be frustrating and heartbreaking for some.
Coming back to the game, I must say that after being down by two goals in the first 10 minutes, India staged a gallant fightback. It showed that we played tenaciously and continuously pressurised the South Africans. It was not an easy task but once we took control of the midfield, there was better cohesion amongst the players.
{{/usCountry}}Coming back to the game, I must say that after being down by two goals in the first 10 minutes, India staged a gallant fightback. It showed that we played tenaciously and continuously pressurised the South Africans. It was not an easy task but once we took control of the midfield, there was better cohesion amongst the players.
{{/usCountry}}When we went into the dressing room at the breather, there was silence and remorse on the faces of the boys. No one could believe what was happening to us. I must admit that although I knew we had that 35 minutes left, the sinking feeling of not being able to make it through was very much there. But I shrugged off that feeling and continued to motivate the boys.
Once we got moving in the second half, the rhythm returned to some extent. Of course, there were flaws as sometimes we could not place ourselves in the right positions to receive passes and failed to avoid tight man-markings. After exerting much pressure, we were rewarded with the goals we deserved and won the match.
The strategy we adopted for the first few minutes did not do us any good. I always believed that we should play to our strength — attack. Players are also playing in unfamiliar positions and this does not augur well for the team. It only adds to the pressure on the rest, as we continuously have to cover up for their mistakes, some of which prove costly at crucial moments.
Bench strength is sometimes stronger than the playing team. This is why I believe we keep conceding early goals. Some of our youngsters need to be jolted out of their slumber. A basic like ball trapping was sorely missing. Many a times the ball deflected off the stick and they kept scrambling in search for it. We were lucky that no South African was lurking nearby to pounce on those mistakes. Ball watching by the defence also gave us many anxious moments. Reflexes were slow in clearing balls. Adam and Sandeep should only be brought in to give the others a breather and should not be kept in the game for long spells or at the same time. We also cannot afford to have two of our forwards off-colour on the same day. Both Gagan and Deepak, though heavily marked, were not really involved and had a subdued game. All of us have off days and I hope that they will improve as they are key members of the team.
Hats off to young goalkeeper Adrian. He again rose to the occasion and played a fantastic game. Dilip Tirkey manned the defence almost single-handedly and stood like a rock. Then there were Vikram and Viren, who had a great day in the midfield. They controlled the middle with authority and provided timely support to the forward line.
Ignace Tirkey is a class of a player but seems to have lost confidence. He did not get much time on the field and failed to lift his game. Baljit and I had to create the runs and the moves to get the others going. Personally I prefer to play as the linkman, which I did after starting off as a center-forward in the first 20 minutes. There was so much lethargy in the team, and the feeling of playing as a unit is still not there. This bothers me. Imagine what we can do if we do click as a team!
We next play Australia and again we are in a do-or-die situation. Our chances of making the semi-finals will only be clear after that game. So stick with us till the end. (Chivach Sports)