After the depressing loss to Spain yesterday, things could only have improved for India. And they did against Holland in the second match today. Though India lost 4-5 to the defending champions, there was a marked improvement in their quality of play.The Indians, who were strangely defensive against Spain, went back to the traditional attacking style. As a result one got to see a racy encounter which made one forget the lethargic show in the opening game. There were no ugly goalmouth chaos or mid-field confusion, a open flowing game which saw great moves and some brilliant counter attacks.The Indian defence line deserves credit for ensuring a close finish and the forwards appeared to play with more purpose. Though the Dutch had an edge all through the match but Indians at times looked like forcing a draw or even recording an upset win .India took lead in the fifth minute when Sundeep Michael deflected in a Vikram Pillay reverse hit. The equalizer came five minutes later, and the first half saw six goals and seven penalty corners being conceded.Holland went into the break with a 4-2 lead, scoring off Taeke Taekema (16th minute), Teun de Noojier (25th) and Karel Klavers (34th). For India, the other scorers were VS Vinay (20th) and Vikram Pillay (61st).The pace did not slack after the break as one could see the Indians making waves in the rival half. India reduced the margin in the 45th minute when Arjun Halappa converted a penalty stroke.Holland’s Australian coach Terry Walsh admitted there were basic defensive lapses. The captain Jeroen Delmee too expressed the same concern when he said, ‘‘We have to lift our game both in the defence and upfront.’’India were in the game till the very end, and had Sundeep Michael not missed a cross from Arjun at the goalmouth in the 69th minute things could have been different.But as the final hooter was sounded the harsh realities hit hard. The Indians are still without a point in the tournament and they face the impossible task of winning their remaining matches to dream of finishing anywhere near the top.Though coach Gerhard Rach is optimistic. ‘‘There is still hope for this team. They are inexperienced, and all the media hype is only increasing the pressure on them. We are making silly mistakes, but we will be trying our best to eliminate them. The future can only be brighter,’’ he said after the match.
