CHENNAI: Chennai Cheetahs lost further ground in their semifinal pursuit, as Chandigarh Comets posted a 3-0 victory in the World Series Hockey match at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium on Monday. The result — their fourth home loss — leaves them gasping for gas to reach the final four.
It was a ineffective show by the Cheetahs as they were hampered by reckless passing, dismal finishing and woeful off-the-ball positioning. To compound their woes, Imran Warsi wasn’t his clinical self. Reliant as the Cheetahs are on him, his listlessness was something they couldn’t afford. Whereas the Comets latched onto both their opportunities in the first quarter, the hosts spurned as many as five penalty corners, all from Warsi’s blade. Their linchpin, with 15 goals, was all too predictable. His second effort was the closest, but rebounded off the crossbar. Not that their attempted variations delivered better results, for they missed four as well. The first was lost in concept. Upon receiving the ball, Vikram Pillay waited too long only to be dispossessed. The second was better executed but Comets’ goalkeeper Harjot Singh was up to the task. Conversely, the more subdued Comets orchestrated lead in the second minute with their very first movement of intent. Gurjinder Singh’s long and accurate pass, almost from the half-line, singled out Mohammad Amir Khan, who urgently deposited the ball beyond Cheetahs custodian C Santosh. Their second surge culminated in a penalty corner, which Gurjinder converted.
Thus the Cheetahs were pushed to the periphery inside ten minutes, and that despite enjoying ball possession and creating more goal-scoring opportunities. Alarmingly, their finishing skills couldn’t match their penetrative powers, and often Comets’ Aussie full-back Matthew Phillips efficiently guaranteed that the Cheetahs didn’t even whiff an unlikely comeback.
Again, after a spell of domination the Cheetahs conceded another goal, which literally put paid to their hopes of salvaging a draw. Gurjinder Singh’s flick was deflected off Vikram Pillay’s body and the umpire immediately awarded a stroke, which Sukhwinder Singh duly converted.