Senior high

Against Holland, we went all out to score while down 0-1, resulting in gaps in our defence and the Dutch were able to pump in two more goals. This time, we played our plan to perfection. That the team was hungry was clear from the way they went for the kill in the dying minutes. Two goals just before the final whistle is a test of any team’s instinct.

In a sense, this match was like the final pre-Olympic practice game against Ireland in Germany. We were down 0-2 before coming back to win by a comprehensive 6-2 scoreline. We’ve done it before, we can do it again.

Tuesday was a good day for the strong, steely men of Indian sports. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore showed his resolve at the shooting range, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi swept aside their opponents on the tennis court. At the hockey stadium, it was an occasion for the seniors – Dhanraj Pillay, Dilip Tirkey and Baljeet Singh deserve special mention.

Anyhow, tomorrow is another day. The Australians are one of the big teams in this tournament. They combine a compact defence with ferocious attacking power. We’ve got a strategy for them, you’ll see it on the field.

This match is equally important for both teams. A victory almost ensures further advance in the tournament, a defeat puts you into all sorts of problems, dependent on freak results in other games and plain fortune.

There’re two things going for us, I feel. One, especially after the comeback victory against South Africa, team morale is high. Two, we are playing satisfactorily, living up to our pre-tournament blueprint.

To illustrate that last point, I’ll leave you with a statistic. In two matches, India has got seven penalty corners. It has been able to convert five into goals. That’s as good a conversion rate as you can get.