BHUBANESWAR: IF the first two hours is anything to go by, India can actually start dreaming about being around when the medals are handed out.Pre-tournament odds, not one of the greatest tools for prediction, had the hosts exiting their own party at the quarterfinal stage. Considering they could face one of Netherlands, who looked in red-hot form against Malaysia in their opening game, or Germany, that could well be the face. But there are a couple of reasons behind genuine optimism.
The World No 5 have displayed a tendency to adapt and adjust — not exactly their strongest of suits — according to the situation in both their matches of the World Cup thus far. Even when they were in a commanding position against South Africa in the first encounter, the visitors threatened them after a change in formation. With a man-up advantage in midfield, the Africans found a lot of joy down India’s left. They would have scored through one such move had it not been for PR Sreejesh, who got down low to divert the goal-bound effort.
The Rainbow Nation were smelling a goal and India had to batten down the hatches. The pattern of play was also a bad omen. In years past, India’s default setting when facing adversity was simple: embrace an ostrich attitude. On Wednesday, they refused to play that card. Instead, they prepared to meet fire with fire. Harendra Singh raised the stakes by asking his men to take more chances. It was high risk but it showed that the hosts weren’t going to be cowed into submission. Their Swiss army knife had a new compartment and they were willing to use it at the first time of asking. An uncomfortable 2-0 lead after 40 minutes had changed to a dominating 4-0 one after 46 minutes.
The hosts were faced with a different challenge when Belgium came knocking on Sunday. The Olympic silver-medallists’ bread and butter is absorbing pressure before patiently waiting for openings to appear; like a smooth burglar who knows he/she has all night to pick the bank safe. On Sunday, the Red Lions came haring out determined to win the deciding Pool C game in the first quarter itself.
Unaccustomed to such a change, the hosts once again had to adapt. They had already conceded one goal — a penalty corner — but once again the team managed to limit the damage, something the Men In Blue have not been able to do in the recent past. Once the Red wave subsided, India began to compose a few haiku notes themselves before virtually outplaying the World No 3 in the second set of 30 minutes. They beat the press by going aerial — considered an anathema to the hockey DNA in this country — and turned a hopeless position into a winning one.
Their result against Belgium also suggested that the Class of 2018 — after watching previous incarnations trying and failing — are at least adept at getting back into a contest versus members of the Big Five (Argentina, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Australia) after going behind. Here are a few numbers from after the 2014 World Cup against those five in FIH events (Champions Trophy, World League Semifinals and Finals, World Cup and Olympics). Out of the 32 matches they have played, they have won only five and lost 17. Crucially, though, only four of those losses have come since the start of last year.
They may not be beating the best of the best but at least they are learning the art of drawing them. Out of 10 such results, four have come in 2018. Another Achilles Heel seems to have been corrected in the course of the year. Manpreet Singh’s men, Belgium scoring first notwithstanding, are managing to score the opening goal in matches featuring the five heavyweights — a crucial metric because the first goal usually decides the contest.
In fact, out of the six matches India have played versus the top echelon, they have opened the scoring in three matches. That hasn’t always been the case, though. For example, in 2015, the opponents opened the scoring in each of the seven encounters India played against the sides in question. If, they see off Canada as is currently expected, all of those improvements will be put to the test against superior opposition.
Fan-tastic Chance to interact with players
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, hockey fans will get a chance to meet and interact with their favourite players participating at this event. All the teams will visit the Fan Village in the stadium’s premises in an attempt to offer spectators an opportunity to see their favourite stars up close and personal. There will be fun activities such as question-and-answer sessions with the players where the fans can ask them to sing, dance or even share their tips on hockey. There will also be plenty of selfies being clicked with the team and the fans, and a ball-juggling contest among players. The village set up in an area of 18,000sqm has been designed to keep visitors engaged in various activities.