Too much emphasis on defence led to defeat

It was a disappointing start for India because the difference between the two teams is not as large as the scoreline suggested, writes Pargat Singh..

It was an extremely disappointing start to India's campaign at the Champions Trophy in Lahore. Not because we lost the match heavily, but merely because the difference between the two teams was by no means as large as the 4-0 scoreline suggested.

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First and foremost, getting into the Champions Trophy itself was a huge bonus for India. With Australia pulling out, India got a great chance to play some games against top class teams.

But sadly the first game showed that there really was no plan. The Indians were just not attacking and there were no planned moves. We also got no penalty corners and there were hardly attempts on the goal, all showing that the team never did show a scoring mood. In fact with such emphasis on defence, there would be chaos at some stage.

Even though we held the Spaniards goalless for the first 40-odd minutes, it was almost as if the team management was going to be satisfied with a draw. That is certainly no way to approach a match in such a high-class competition.