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India will face Pakistan in their last encounter at the Sultan Azlan Shah Tournament in Ipoh (Malaysia) today. India lost to Argentina 2-3 in a closely contested match yesterday and are virtually out of the reckoning for the finals. Pakistan too suffered a shock defeat against the host Malaysia as they squandered a 2 goal lead to let the hosts prevail in a memorable win for them. With 3 defeats and only one win in their 4 matches, Pakistan sit at the bottom of the table. India has played 5, won 2 and lost 3 and are at the 4th spot currently.
Bharat Chetri – Man of the match against Malaysia
India started their campaign on a dismal note against New Zealand where their defensive capabilities were put to a stern test and exposed woefully. But they came back strongly in the next match against Korea and although, it was erratic play from both the teams, India came out trumps thanks to a last minute goal by SK Uthappa. In their next match against the title contenders Great Britain, India came back in a stunning fashion from a 2 goal deficit but their defense crumbled again as GB were able to score past 3 defenders at the back to push them ahead. India defeated the hosts Malaysia 3-2 in the next match to keep their hopes alive in the tournament but lost to spirited Argentina who took full advantage of further defensive lapses by the Indians. While India’s goal line has been superbly manned by either PR Sreejesh or Bharat Chetri, it’s the defensive wall before that which has crumbled with alarming ease to give opponents easy forays into the Indian half.
Pakistan, on the other hand, made a glittering start to their campaign against Argentina as they destroyed them 4-2 after earlier squandering a 2 goal advantage. Pakistan’s captain Sohail Abbas was in his elements as the penalty corner specialist’s captaincy debut went perfectly according to plan. Pakistan’s attack, revolving around Shafaqat Rasool, Muhammad Irfan and Muhammad Waqas, has been inconsistent since then. They, just like India, have been woeful in front of the goal line as they squandered chances after chances in the matches against New Zealand (lost 1-3), Korea (lost 0-4) and Malaysia (lost 2-3). Pakistan are also missing their key players like Rehan Butt and Imran Warsi due to their participation in the ‘rebel’ WSH league in India. Although, in this matter, Pakistan has just imposed a fine on the players and given them an opportunity to take part in London Olympics while Hockey India continues to snub all the players participating in the WSH.
When both these teams meet today, the memory of the brawl on the pitch between the players in Busselton will be in the back of the mind of the spectators at least who’ll be wishing for a completely incident free match today with the focus solely on hockey.
Both teams have much in common as they prepare a young group for the Olympics. The tournament has been a learning curve for both India and Pakistan as there have been plenty of instances for either side when a more experienced group of personnel would have made a much different result possible than what both these teams have accomplished.
Key Players:-
Sandeep Singh has been poor in defense
Sandeep Singh - He’s been the man around whom India’s World Cup campaign has been built. He was the face of the group when India qualified for Olympics in earlier this year. But this great drag-flicker has been at his shoddiest at the back of the pitch. As a defender, Sandeep Singh has struggled in his movement off the ball and positioning. If India needs a stronger display at the international stage, they don’t just need the ace drag flicker, but also a rock solid defender in form of Sandeep Singh. He was off the field for a long duration in the match against Argentina but according to India’s assistant coach Mohammad Riaz, he’ll be back for the match against Pakistan.
Shivendra Singh - His presence or the lack of it can be extremely critical for India. His partnership in front with SV Sunil and Tushar has been incredible and although finishing hasn’t been India’s forte so far, there have been countless breaches of the opponent’s defense by the trio. India will be praying for Shivendra to get back to full fitness soon.
Sohail Abbas - With the Pakistani team missing quite a few players due to WSH drama off the field, Pakistan need their drag flicker and captain to come good against arch rival India. He made a great start to the campaign, scoring against Argentina in the first match, but just like his Indian counterparts, has been missing many chances in front of the goal. If Pakistan need to end their campaign in Malaysia on a high note, their hopes will be pinned on this man.
Quotes:-
Schedule:-
Watch the match LIVE at 3.35 PM IST on NEO SPORTS.
