Wednesday, Oct 09, 2002
Wednesday, Oct 09, 2002 |
| Sport | ||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Sport
-
Asian Games
By S. Thyagarajan
Coming as it does after the two enthralling encounters at the recent Champions Trophy, where they won a match each, the face off between the super powers of the sub-continent after a gap of 12 years - the last was in 1990 at Beijing - injects an element of suspense. Statistics, which undoubtedly favour Pakistan after the Sixties, have never overshadowed that aura of romance, the pure pristine quality of hockey purveyed from an Indo-Pak. clash. It is true that the balance has shifted towards Pakistan since the first encounter in 1956 at Melbourne. But the history of 102 matches played so far tells a fascinating tale. Even at the Asian Games, Pakistan enjoys supremacy, winning seven out of 10 played against India. The latter has just one gold medal at Bangkok, 1966, and two drawn games, in 1958 at Tokyo and in the first leg final at Teheran in 1974. However, even a soothsayer will be hesitant to look into the crystal ball and predict the outcome. Such has been the closeness of the contests, save for the savage defeat in New Delhi in 1982 by a margin of 7-1. But what can be said without a fear of contradiction is that the clash on Thursday is bound to touch the realm of excellence given the strength and weaknesses of both teams. Anyone who witnessed the Champions Trophy encounter would vouch for India's dominance, thanks to Dhanraj Pillay's superb display. In the same breath, people still wonder, how India leading 3-1 could lose 3-4 in the last 12 minutes of the second encounter and concede the bronze to its rival, which at one point faced the threat of playing for the fifth and sixth positions. India is a more balanced side with sufficient strength in all layers. The quality of defence has improved considerably, largely due to skipper Dilip Tirkey's efficiency and the consistently good showing by Dinesh Nayak and Kanwalpreet. The proficiency of goalkeeper, Devesh Chauhan cannot be ignored. In mid-field too, the level of consistency has been praiseworthy, what with Bimal Lakra and Ignace Tirkey coming good in every game. Viren Rasquinha and Vikram Pillay too have not been found wanting. In fact, both regained their poise after a slow start. Quite predictably, Pakistan's strategy would be to shackle the indefatigable Dhanraj and may even succeed in doing that. So the onus of keeping the firing line in full alert falls on the highly rated Deepak Thakur and Gagan Ajit Singh. The latter, who played such a thrilling role in the Champions Trophy, has had a bad patch so far. One hopes he comes out of this in the crucial tie. Prabhjot Singh's ankle injury in the first match has rendered the frontline weak and somewhat ineffective. The medical opinion is still undecided on whether to field him or not. An MRI scan has confirmed a ligament tear but he is now seen walking around without crutches. That the team management is keen to see him fit for the match cannot be overstressed. Daljit Dhillon, who became a Hobson's choice, has exceeded his expectations, scoring the equaliser against Korea in the needle match. Mobile and motivated, Pakistan's attack is in full bloom. The adeptness and accuracy of Mohammad Nadeem, Mohammad Sarwar and Kashif Jawaad are seen in the number of goals that Pakistan has notched up to end as the only team to sweep the pool matches. The mid-field is well guarded by Saqlain Mohammad as pivot and Waseem at left. But the defence, which has the star Sohail Abbas as its fulcrum, has not performed well enough, and certainly looks vulnerable. That Pakistan conceded as many as three goals to China despite scoring eight shows a trace of frailty in this vital area, which a combined Indian sally can trouble. It goes without saying that both teams are bracing up for what can be the best match of the men's competition. That it comes as a semifinal tie is indeed a pity. On the distaff side, the most disappointing aspect is the performance of India in the two matches played so far. The heavy defeat against South Korea on Monday perhaps snuffed out the claims made about India being a top combination on the world stage after the Commonwealth Games. The frontline has been pathetic in its working and the number of sallies made was not even a handful. The perceived brilliance of Mamta Kharb or the experience of Pritam Sawach, or even the incisive competence of Manjeet Kaur and Jothi Kullu were simply invisible. The defence, notably goalkeeper, Tingoleima, contributed only in delaying the goals, which came mostly in the second session when it succumbed to sustained pressure. Amandeep Kaur in deep defence, Suraj Lata and Sita Gussein in the mid-field were conspicuous. What India needs is an extraordinary performance against Japan on Thursday to be in the race for a medal. A highly inspired Japan shattered the confidence of China, billed as the favourite for the gold, on Monday, and should be in tremendous spirit when facing India which has to establish all over again that the gold in the Commonwealth Games and all the bonanza which came as a consequence were worthy and deserving rewards for the skills. Wednesday's matches: Men (5-8): Japan v Bangladesh (6-30 a.m. IST); Hong Kong v China (10-30 a.m). Women: China v Korea (9 a.m); India v Japan (11-30 a.m.).
Printer friendly
page
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | Home |
Copyright © 2002, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|
