The Hindu : Sport : India wins third Test

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 11, 2007
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Sport

Sport

India wins third Test

S. Thyagarajan

Pradeep, Sanjay sparkle

— Photo: R. gu

TELLING SMASH: India’s G. Pradeep is about to spike the ball past the Pakistan defenders in the third Test match on Friday.

Chennai: With a performance that projected unmistakable proficiency and elements of professionalism, India outplayed Pakistan in straight sets to clinch the third volleyball Test before a large gathering at the JN Indoor Stadium on Friday. India leads 2-1 in the five Test series.

The 3-0 margin (25-21, 25-20, 26-24) conveys eloquently the ease with which the Indians conquered the opposition.

Coach elated

Predictably elated at the outcome, chief coach G.E. Sridharan disagreed with the assessment of victory coming without much sweat. He said that the team raised the level of play to such an extent to make the triumph look like a walk in the park.

There is no dispute over this analysis, since the Indians demonstrated a noticeable sense of harmony and co-ordination, be it at the net or in the mid-court.

Only in the third set did the Pakistan players manage a small lead, but that was nullified by the tight show in the closing minutes by the Indians to capture the set at 26-24.

Two players who elevated the quality and content of India’s display to a high octave were Pradeep and Sanjay Kumar. Both were devastating in their shots, Pradeep in particular, coming up with an all round game.

He was spectacular at the net, served well varying the trajectory and dropped the ball delicately in the mid-court leaving the Pakistan defence bewildered.

Expectedly, Kapil Dev displayed his efficiency as did Guruchand Singh. What really helped India dominate right through was its blocking system, both individual and combined.

Some of the triple member blocks were eye catching.

Patchy show

If Pakistan’s show was patchy and individualistic, it was largely on account of lack of combination, especially positioning in mid-court. Individually, Faisal Shah was superb in net blocks.

Mohib Rasool came up with a set of lovely serves. It was his accuracy in the serve that helped Pakistan restore parity more than once in the third set.

Trailing 8-10, Pakistan levelled at 10-10, and even surged ahead briefly as India fought to be on par at 14-all. From then on it was a neck-and-neck tussle for points with Pakistan clearly having the edge.

At 23-21, it looked as though Pakistan was set to pick up the set, but emphatic defence work enabled India level at 24-all, and then force the issue to take the next two points.

Mr. B. Sivanthi Adityan, executive vice-president, International Volleyball Federation, was the chief guest.

The Indian team received a cash award of Rs. 60,000, and Pakistan Rs. 40,000.

The result: India bt Pakistan 25-21, 25-10, 26-24.