Fleet-footed Australians beat hosts 5-2

A dismal India were jolted out of their euphoria as Australia spanked them 5-2 in the hockey World Cup.

This was a match that probably held the key to the future course of the hockey World Cup as far as Pool B was concerned. But while the 5-2 scoreline suggests a far from convincing performance,the way India played showed that they could still make an impression going ahead.

The result was not unexpected; Australia are not ranked second in the world for no reason. They also came into the tournament on the back of a supremely successful Champions Trophy campaign,which included a 7-2 spanking of Spain. Their performance in the previous match against England had been awful with a large part of the blame going to the forward line that missed 28 chances and 12 penalty corners and they were expected to recover from that upset and come on strongly against India.

Australia were desperate to win this match if they had to keep their hopes of making the semi-finals alive,and for the Australians to make a hash of opportunities as they did against England was rare. The difference between the two teams was evident at the start: Australia were up 2-0 within the first 10 minutes,and India never recovered from that double blow.

The Australians played a level of hockey far superior to anything the Indians are used to. Most moves were extremely fast,played at a speed where many of the actions were a blur,and all looked like theyd end in a crowd of Australian players celebrating. Liam de Young,Robert Hammond,Glenn Turner and Des Abbott were swift on the counter and their co-ordination was inch-perfect.

On the other hand,India missed Shivendra,and looked a forward short in a match played at such a furious pace. A fair number of half-chances went abegging because there wasnt anyone to either trap or deflect crosses or tap in rebounds inside the striking circle.

On the positive side,Bharat Chikara was impressive again; his trapping and passing were spot on,there were no loose balls and he made sure the Aussies had to work their way past others as they could not break him. Arjun Halappa was instrumental in almost all the moves that ended anywhere close to the rival post. He also proved that,along with Vikram Pillay,the experience and fitness he brings to the team cannot be substituted. Sardar Singh was equally good as centre half,and Dhananjay Mahadik did well to clear the danger from a slew of Australian raids.

For now,hopes of a semi-final spot are still alive for India,especially if they can turn in performances as spirited as this one. The notable difference in this team are their fitness levels,which was far superior to the levels they were at even six months ago something that trainer David Perez and,before that,Jesus Garcia Pallares should get credit for. Also,India fought till the last minute,even though the result was decided. India now need to win at least two of their three remaining games against Spain,England and South Africa.