India know they aren146;t playing to full potential

The Indian squad has finally admitted what everyone has been witnessing in Athens for almost a week now: The team is not playing to its pote...

The Indian squad has finally admitted what everyone has been witnessing in Athens for almost a week now: The team is not playing to its potential.

8216;8216;Our loss to Australia was bad luck. But we are not playing up to our potential8217;8217;, a senior player said a day after India lost 3-4 in their third match of the tournament.

He was quick to blame the umpiring for the loss. 8216;8216;The yellow card to Dhanraj was unfair. And several of our scoops were disallowed, when it was perfectly legal. What can you do in such circumstances?8217;8217;

The statement just about sums India8217;s dismal run at the tournament. The story has followed a familiar script of fumbling on the big stage with below-par performance from India8217;s best-ever team in modern times.

Defeat on Thursday means the Indians are out of contention for a top-four finish, though they have a theoretical chance if the others in the fray mess things up in heavyweight proportions. So on Saturday India are playing for pride.

8216;8216;We will still take our remaining matches one at a time, and try to win both. But it definitely makes things worse that everything depends more on other teams than our own performance8217;8217;, the playersaid.

Ironically, the decider that sealed India8217;s fate was the best performance from them in the tournament. India controlled the game for a major part, something they are not really known to do. And coming back from a 1-3 deficit to equalise speaks volumes about the efforts the Indians put into the game.

PROS AND CONS

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

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8226; The Indian wall is the saving grace: Dilip Tirkey8217;s solid presence and goalkeeper Adrian d8217;Souza8217;s alertness under the bars

8226; Veterans Pillay and Baljeet Singh Dhillon have shouldered their responsibility

8226; Finally, the Indians appeared to be playing to a definite plan 8212; but abandoned it right at the end

THE RECURRING PROBLEMS

8226; Gagan Ajit Singh, Prabhjot Singh and Deepak Thakur appear out of form at the same time. Especially Prabhjot, who almost seems to be on tranquilisers

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8226; The exclusion of Sandeep Michael from the Athens-bound squad is beginning to rebound; his presence would have given India an extra option in the attack

8226; Finally, the 8216;C8217; word: Choking again at the end. A team packed with experience should know they have to play till the hooter, and close down a match when on level terms and a man short