Ali, Shergill help PBG Jindal win Polo Cup

A cloud-covered Sunday morning made way for a bright afternoon as President’s Body Guard (PBG) Jindal took on Sahgal Stud/Sona in the finals of the Amity Polo Cup at the Jaipur Polo Grounds, reports Shubhodeep Chakravarty.

A cloud-covered Sunday morning made way for a bright afternoon as President’s Body Guard (PBG) Jindal took on Sahgal Stud/Sona in the finals of the Amity Polo Cup at the Jaipur Polo Grounds.

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The two finalists, identical in their offensive tactics, lived up to the expectations by getting off to a lightening start.

PBG’s Shamsher Ali and Simran Shergill (4 goals each), however, were a class apart as they repeatedly broke through the opponents’ defence. Sahgals kept the Ali marked but with each aerial shot from him, the cheer inevitably grew louder. The man uses one of the heaviest mallets in the country but his control over horse and the polo ball justified his fame. The audience, comprising of high dignitaries, including numerous diplomatic envoys, watched in awe the four- chukkar game as an equaliser followed each goal. The unpredictability of the match was truly spectacular.

The 5-4, 5-5, 6-5, 6-6 scoreline saw a host of experimental changes, but the match was clearly dominated by the experienced premier players.

The father-son duo of Rajesh and Gaurav Sahgal(2 and 3 goals each) led the charge for Sahgal Studs, ably supported by Abhimanyu Pathak. It was mainly because of the trio that PBG were unable to run away with an easy lead. By the dying moments of the last chukkar, Pathak surged ahead and took the lead for his team.

However, as was typical of the entire match, with less than a minute left, PBG belted two goals to take the match (8-7), and the Cup.