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Journalism of Courage
This isn8217;t an easy schedule for India, by any standards. Back-to-back matches against Holland and Germany are followed, after a day8217;s break, by an encounter with Australia. It8217;s a must-win match for India if they are to reach the final; no wonder chief coach Rajinder Singh is visibly tense.
8216;8216;I am worried about the match. So far in this tournament, our boys haven8217;t played to half their actual potential 8212; as they did on our Australian tour. This will be the toughest match in the tournament8217;8217;, he said. There will be a lot of similarity in style on show tomorrow. Both teams have a mutual admiration for each other. Australia8217;s English coach Barry Dancer prefers to play attacking hockey, looking down on the tactic-heavy European style.
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INDIA8217;S CHECKLIST
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8226; Midfield has to retain as much possession as possible. If not, they8217;ll be running in circles throughout the match. Halfline players Bimal Lakra and Ignace Tirkey, who are good distributors of the ball, haven8217;t been consistent in first two matches 8226; Forwards looked rusty in the first two matches and can8217;t afford to miss any more easy chances. Much will depend on how Gagan Ajit Singh is utilised 8226; Rate of success with penalty corners not good enough; there are three PC experts 8212; Dilip Tirkey, Jugraj and Kanwalpreet Singh 8212; and should start delivering. |
Australian great Ric Charlesworth, who excelled both as a player and coach the latter of their women8217;s team and who is here as TV commentator, said: 8216;8216;We Aussies prefer to make things happen on the field rather than wait to choke the rival team and hope they will make mistakes.8217;8217;
That8217;s what excites India8217;s goalpoacher Gagan Ajit Singh, who8217;s scored three goals so far in this meet. 8216;8216;The Germans are known to be tight markers but the Australians prefer to play open-style hockey. It will create more openings for us8217;8217;, he said.
His confidence isn8217;t misplaced. If, a few years ago the Aussies were streets ahead, the Indians have caught up of late. The best example is, of course, the match in the 2000 Olympics which saw Australia scrape home with a draw in the dying moments.
Indeed, India should go in as favourites on more current form. On their recent tour of Australia, India played two finals, winning one and losing the other. And in this Champions Trophy, the Australians are yet to record a win. However, the Indians are not taking any chance in their preparations: their morning session started with weight-training at a nearby gymnasium in Amsterdam and then they studied videotapes of Australians playing. Much will hinge on the fitness of defender Dilip Tirkey, who had a long session today with team trainer Sampath Kumar. Tirkey suffered severe cramps in the first match, and his withdrawal is seen as one main reason for India8217;s rapid slide to defeat, but the think-tank couldn8217;t afford to sit him out against Germany. Tirkey is not just the team8217;s main defender but also their main striker in the penalty corners.
That8217;s one area where the Indians have not succeeded in this tournament. It8217;s added to the worries of Rajinder Singh, who believes in the philosophy of winning by outscoring the rival team. So far, the Indians have converted only one 8212; through Jugraj Singh 8212; of the seven penalty corners they8217;ve been awarded in the two matches.
| Head To Head Five key battles, on and off the turf JAMIE DWYER VS DILIP TIRKEY: The Australian is one of the most complete, dangerous players today 8212; all speed, skill and sensible ballplay. If fit suffered a hamstring problem in the last match, he can create problems for the Indian defence, otherwise his young replacement Grant Schubert would be the man to watch after his brilliant debut against Pakistan. Tirkey himself needs to be fully fit to check either TROY ELDER VS DEVESH CHAUHAN: IN recent times, the Australians have produced a few goals from penalty-corners but 8216;Woody8217;, their PC expert, is in a different class. He8217;s played against some of the world8217;s best goalkeepers and Chauhan will have to watch for any late, sharp deflection the Australian flicker might attempt. |
