Postmortem after choking accident

Former Pakistan great Shahbaz Ahmed feels that the Indian thinktank froze at the crucial stage.

‘‘The coach and the captain should have taken more responsibility. When the Dutch made it 1-3, there was still time for the Indians to regroup but maybe there was a communication gap between the players and the coach.’’

Former German coach Horst Wein, who is considered an expert on the subject and is currently conducting FIH coaching clinics in Amstelveen for top coaches and former players, agrees that the problem lies with the team management. Wein says, ‘‘For 63 minutes the Indian players played well but after that the management failed to adapt to the situation when their role should have been more pro-active.’’

Adding to that, Wein says that when India was leading by three goals they should have changed their strategy and finished off the game. Instead, they became more defensive and tried time-wasting strategies and, as Wein says, ‘‘They should have tried to crowd the midfield but they went on playing the same way which gave scope for the Dutch to launch their attacks.’’

But Shahbaz differs, saying that chief coach Rajinder Singh should have asked the forwardline to press further. ‘‘We (subcontinent teams) are comfortable when we are playing attacking hockey. India should have kept the pressure on the Dutch till the end.’’

Also, in a sense, the problem for the Indians had its roots in the selection of the final 16. While other teams play with one goalkeeper in their squad of 16, India had two. This meant a ‘field player’ short and also a distinct disadvantage when it came to rolling substitutes.

Besides, the Indian team management used just two players from the bench during the game. A folly highlighted in the final 10 minutes when the rivals with fresh legs outpaced the Indians.