O.............Z CILLATING FORTUNES
After Pakistan High, India Go Down To Australia
New Delhi: After the terrifkic take-off on Sunday, India ran into an air pocket here on Tuesday night.
It was a bumpy ride no doubt with the Australians coming at them in waves - teasing them, bullying them and at times mocking them. But that was not the full story in the fast paced Hero Honda World Cup encounter that ended 5-2 in the favour of the legendary Ric Charlesworth's men. It was also a story of India's new-found will to fight back; their desire to tell their fans that they are no pushovers.
They lost the bruising battle but not before playing some serious hockey. It was heartening to see fans chant "India, India" after the team's defeat. It shows that the fans are willing to back them and to support them in their hour of distress. Surely, a new bonding seems to be emerging here.
It's never easy for a team ranked No 12 in world to stage a fight back after being 0-3 down against a world No.2 team. And jdon't go by that scoreline. If the Indians had converted some easy opportunities that came their way in both the halves, it would have been a different story.
Australians, smarting from their defeat at the hands of England on Sunday, had wowed to hit India hard. Hit they did, taking advantage of defensive lapses by the hosts. They took the lead in the second minute and slammed home the second even before the Indians settled down.
Was it nerves? Was it loss of forward Shivendra Singh, who has been banned for two matches, playing on their minds? It's difficult to tell but the first six minutes surely rattles them. They tried to get their act together, tightening their midfield p;ay, trying to open up the flanks. However, even as theyt looked to be settling down, Australia made it 3-0, scoring aginst the run of play. It seemed curtains.
The Australians were brilliant in defence, speedier and their trapping and passing skills looked far superior. But that was till the 3-0 scorline; after that it was an open game. Gurwinder Singh Chandi missed the opportunity to score when he tried to pass the by Gurbaz Singh from the right, 1-3, the fight was on.
Australia repeated the first half. They slotted home two goals in the first seven mints to go 5-1 up and it was yet again time to play catch up for the Indians. The good bit was that the Indians refused to fall back and swarm their defense in panic, as they have done so often in the past.
Read more...