Navijit Singh Sandhu enjoys good fan following at the Jaipur Polo Ground. One of the best equestrian exponents in India, the crowd reserves the biggest cheer for the army man every time he hits an under-the-neck shot or a tail backhander.
Be it a top polo tournament or an exhibition match, Sandhu, a veteran of two polo World Cups and a national champion in show jumping, always plays for keeps. On Sunday, the three-goaler once again played a stellar role for Barnes as they overcame a tough challenge from Peace Stead to win 4-3 in the Rianjal Sanawar Polo Cup, being held after four years, on Sunday.
With Barnes trailing by two goals after Sunjay Kapoor’s twin strikes in the first chukker (period), Sandhu showed the value of experience as he combined with another seasoned player, Adhiraj Singh, to score from a difficult angle. Sandhu then did it all by himself, finishing a solo run to bring up the equaliser in the second chukker.
The scoreline could have been 3-2 in favour of Barnes before the end of the period had Sandhu, advancing from the left and then nicely cutting in from a difficult angle, almost put it past the gigantic wooden poles. But a slightly overcooked shot sent the ball wide.
{{/usCountry}}The scoreline could have been 3-2 in favour of Barnes before the end of the period had Sandhu, advancing from the left and then nicely cutting in from a difficult angle, almost put it past the gigantic wooden poles. But a slightly overcooked shot sent the ball wide.
{{/usCountry}}There was plenty of action from the moment the ball was rolled in, and Kapoor was the one who drew the most appreciation before Sandhu took charge. In between, the duel for one-upmanship between Kapur—who owns one of the best polo teams in the country, Sona Polo—and Sandhu, the crowd’s attention was held by the tributes paid by commentators to Lawrence School, Sanawar for its contribution to Indian polo and a nasty fall that almost put umpire Lt. Col. (retd) Arjun Patil out of action.
Patil was tossed out of the saddle and suffered a terrible fall. Limping as he got up, Patil recovered from the jolt to complete his duties.
Peace Stead were the odds-on favourites, with two of the best polo exponents, Jai Shergill and Uday Kalaan in the team. But with Kalaan, coming back from a debilitating injury after almost two years, and Shergill both off-colour, Barnes took the initiative and rallied his team from 0-2 down to finally make it look like a one-sided contest.
Had it not been for Kapoor’s clinical play—he scored all three goals for the losers—Barnes would have been runaway winners.
Harsh Preenja gave Barnes a 3-2 lead while Sandhu made it 4-2 in the third chukker with a superb tap-tap followed by an under-the-neck shot from a difficult angle which gave the winners the much-needed cushion for victory.
A goal in the fourth and final chukker by Kapur did make Barnes anxious but the experience of Sandhu and Adhiraj at handling tough situations saw Barnes emerge winners.
Scores: Barnes (NS Sandhu 3, H Preenja 1 bt Peace Stead (S Kapur 3).