Tough task ahead — PK

The Indians have no option but to win their home match by a 3-0 margin to progress into the next round and would have to put up a superlative show to keep their hopes alive.

“No doubt it will be a tough task as sitting on a two-goal cushion they would know what to do,” Banerjee observed.

“If we don’t repeat the same mistakes, it is very much on the cards. Of course, we would have been much better off had we drawn the game or even conceded just the one goal. But we must look ahead,” he said.

Banerjee said that a sudden lapse of concentration led to their first goal and then a defensive error sealed the team’s fate.

Banerjee also felt that the players missed a few sitters during the match, which proved costly.

Shankar Moitra, one of the three coaches who accompanied the team, said that Thailand does not present a insurmountable hurdle and the Indians could still bounce back.

“If we can score an early goal, we can put some pressure on them. We have to put up a much improved performance,” he observed.

The Thailand team was expected to arrive in the city on July 22 and in that case would just get one day to get acclimatised to the monsoon conditions in the city.