For once, it was the absence of acrimony that marked an India-Pakistan hockey game even as India reclaimed the Asian Champions Trophy with a 3-2 win over the two-time defending champion in the final to level it 2-2 in terms of number of titles held.
India won the inaugural edition five years ago and since then a lot has changed. Goalkeeper and captain P.R. Sreejesh missed out on the final with an ankle and hamstring injury and admitted to being disappointed. The 2011 final, against the same opponent, was the one where he first came into the spotlight by saving two penalties.
“It definitely was a little disappointing but I was confident. I knew we had it in us. I was a bit nervous because I have more experience of being inside the field at such times than on the bench! We missed a few chances but we had the hope and belief,” Sreejesh said from Kuantan.
Admitting that the tournament was special for him, Sreejesh added that it was a reiteration of India’s gradual growth, that from surprise winner five years back, it was considered favourite this time.
“We also proved that the Asian Games win was not a fluke,” he said. He is, however, likely to miss out on the upcoming four-nation event and the subsequent test series in Australia, concentrating instead on rehabilitation and strengthening over the next couple of months.
If Sreejesh became Indian hockey’s new hero after 2011, this edition did the same for the likes of Affan Yousuf and Nikkin Thimmaiah, both scoring goals in the final, and Akash Chikte, who replaced Sreejesh in three games including the title clash and impressed.
“I was lucky to get the goal but the victory was not all luck, we had planned and prepared for it and knew we could do it,” Thimmaiah said.
Coach Roelant Oltmans, though, has set his sights higher. Going into the tournament with three or four core players missing and then losing two more for the title clash was the perfect occasion for him to test the bench and he would have been pleased with the outcome. That he did not risk Sreejesh despite the high stakes against Pakistan was noteworthy.
“The pre-match meeting before the final was actually much shorter than normal,” Sreejesh said. “The coach spoke little but only reminded us repeatedly that it was time to put strategies over emotions. When we play with with emotions, we make mistakes.
“The coach only said, ‘pick up any data, any video, any statistics from the last few years and you will see that we are better in everything. We are a better team, we are a more skilled team, we are the higher-ranked team. All you have to do is keep control of the game and avoid your emotions’. It helped.”
The result was one of the cleanest India-Pakistan games ever with few cautions and no violence.
Five years ago was also when Sardar Singh had inexplicably and abruptly walked out of the preparatory camp for the tournament, along with Sandeep Singh, inviting censure and disciplinary action. As the senior-most player in the side now, he was the fulcrum of India’s attacks, proving his class and setting up goals for the forwards from either flank.
Mellowed with age and enriched by experience, the midfielder was the architect of some of the most crucial goals for India, including the winner against Pakistan and the equaliser against Korea in the semifinals.
