Draw will do for India

It is no surprise,then,that the hosts start favourites against Germany in the second leg of the tournament. They won 2-0 in the first leg,and with their spot in the final all but sealed,India have the upper hand against a strangely subdued and disjointed Olympic and world champion Germany side.

“The players are confident but they are not complacent. The Germans play tactical,defensive hockey but we managed to score against them last time,” coach Harendra Singh said.

German captain Moritz Furste admitted after their draw against New Zealand that they may well have kissed their chances of making the final good-bye,although mathematically they are still in. “I guess we have lost hope for qualifying for the final. We played well but our forwards were inexperienced,” he said.

India and Holland need to lose all their games now,while Germany need to win both their remaining matches with huge margins to have a shot at the final.

For India,the biggest plus point has been the goalkeeping,with Baljit Singh outstanding under the bar.

Corner concern

On the flip side,the forward line is yet to gel. There have been missed sitters and a general lack of cohesion once the ball reaches the opposition circle. Penalty corners have also been an area of concern,with India giving away more than double of what they have been able to earn. India will look to formally seal their final spot so that Harendra can try his bench strength in the last league game.