India has hit the up curve. That is beyond dispute now in the Azlan Shah hockey tournament.
After a disastrous start against New Zealand, India has recovered to record a sensational win over Korea, pushed Great Britain to the edge and overcame the host on Monday.
A podium finish is a possibility. But that rests on the outcome of matches against Argentina tomorrow and Pakistan the day after.
The improvement, understandably, pleases Michael Nobbs. But he believes that India should have won against Britain.
The team is settling down to a rhythm. Yet, there are grey areas.
One is the needless desperation to defend the lead. It multiplies errors. We saw two — Sandeep and Raghunath — taking yellow card suspensions at crucial moments on Monday.
Top class performances in the mid-field, notably from the indefatigable Sardar Singh, have been the backbone. Almost everything that happens in the field has the stamp of Sardar.
Next in line is Gurbaj. Returning from an injury, his presence at the right half is inspiring. Sunil who plays at the wing and Sarvanjit are yet to take full advantage of Gurbaj's proficiency in providing perfect centres. Manpreet and Kothajit have played their roles with a touch of efficiency.
Sandeep is yet to flourish owing to inadequate drag flick opportunities. Even the few that surfaced saw Sandeep on the bench. There is no denying that he is a match-winner. Raghunath has not taken the chances well nor did he perform outstandingly in the 25-yard line. The saving grace in this area has been Birendra Lakra.
Inconsistency has dimmed the incandescence of the front line. Fleeting moments from Sunil, Shivendra and Tushar failed to mask the lack of harmony. Uthappa and Danish along with Walmiki are yet to integrate completely.
Goalkeepers — Sreejesh and Chetri — have performed with merit. The latter in particular was conspicuous against Malaysia and Korea.
The coaching crew of Nobbs, Riaz and Lobo, along with trainer, David John, is striving manfully to get the frailties out of harm's way. Nobbs is confident of weeding out the inadequacies in the weeks remaining before the ultimate test — the Olympics in London.
For those statistically minded, India, which takes on Argentina on Wednesday, has a record of 25 victories in the 43 matches played, losing 15 and drawing three. The goal tally of 109 for and 76 against tells its own tale.
Unpredictable
Argentina has proved its unpredictability after the way it side stepped Great Britain and then Korea. This, after two successive reverses, against Pakistan and New Zealand, proclaimed the fortitude of the players whose brilliance is symbolised in the scoring style of Mathias Parades, Mathias Vila and Lucas Cammareri. The Indians should fear these men lurking near the goal area.
The Kiwis have shunted out Great Britain as the favourite. They top the pool and play top class hockey without needless frills. Each performs his part to perfection. Coach Shane McLeod, must count himself lucky to lead players in the class of Andy Hayward, Ryan Archbald, Simon Child and Phil Burrows.
Of the rest, Pakistan is sinking into a defeat syndrome after a bright start aware that its youngsters do not have the potential to replace the likes of Shakeel Abbasi, Rehan Bhatt, Zeeshan Ashraf and the rest who figured in the WSH league.
GB is not yet into full stretch. So are the Koreans whose displays are devoid of the usual fizz. Penalty corners by Nam Hyun Woo and Jang Jong have saved the blushes thus far.
The Malaysian euphoria after two drawn games against Korea and GB was tampered by the defeat against India on Monday.
Yet the enthusiasm and energy levels of the colts led by Faisal Saari generate a lot of hope of the team getting into full steam before the Asian Champions trophy this year.
A lot of excitement lies in store when the competition resumes tomorrow.
Points table: New Zealand: Played 3, won 3, drawn nil, lost nil, goals for 13, goals against 4, points 9; Argentina 4-2-0-2-11-14-6; India 4-2-0-2-8-11-6; Britain 3-1-1-1-8-8-4; Korea 4-1-1-2-9-7-4; Pakistan 3-1-0-2-5-9-3; Malaysia 3-0-2-1-6-7-2.
Wednesday's matches: India v Argentina (1-35 p.m. IST); Great Britain v New Zealand (3-35 p.m.); Pakistan v Malaysia (5-35 p.m).
