BENGALURU: There's something about India versus England in men's hockey right now. This match up can legitimately stake its claim as one of the greatest across all team sports in the modern era. It's got history, heritage, oodles of controversy and some lingering bad blood. But it has also had its fair share of great games and goals.
There was another played out between these two sides in their Pool D encounter at the ongoing World Cup on Monday evening. Both sides traded leads — something very common when these two sides play against each other — but it was England who struck telling blows after half-time to run out 4-2 winners. England, who have also advanced to the next phase of the competition, will carry with them the points of this fixture into that phase as long as India advances with them.
Much now will depend on India's remaining group game against Pakistan on Wednesday. If recent history and logic is anything to go by, India should best their neighbours with minimum of fuss. In the bowels of the Wagener Stadium on Monday evening, as well as at the team hotel, India will wonder how they allowed themselves to be caught in the England whirlpool.
Whenever these two sides meet, there's always a set pattern. Like this daily had highlighted yesterday, energy, pressing, counter-attacks and an awful lot of field goals in a sport where penalty corners usually tend to divide the best sides in high stakes competitions.
On brand, this match followed the recent template. Before the game, coach Craig Fulton had called the recent encounters between the two sides as a 'great story'. "It's always on the day, it's something that's not prescribed. They are the highest ranked team in the Pool and we are going after them. We have to do a good job. They have got unbelievable players and a good coach and good structure."
Fulton's wards lived up to the words of their coach as they flew of the starting blocks like sprinters. For the first few minutes, they enjoyed near total domination, both in terms of territory as well as the ball.
However, on a crisp Summer's day in Amstelveen, it was England who struck first via Nic Bandurak, a proper poacher's effort after a long aerial pass bypassed a few Indian bodies. That woke up the Indian team as they scored two in under 10 minutes before the second interval. For the leveller, it was liquid Harmanpreet whose fierce drag-flick almost tore the net. If that was power, the goal which saw them take the lead was all finesse and gossamer touch. After good work from Hardik Singh on the left, Abhishek's flicked pass into the D was tapped home by a waiting Dilpreet Singh.
It's what these two sides produce. Crazy shifts in momentum, a penchant for the madcap and the ability to thrill supporters. Fulton had said they were well-matched. After the break, though, it was all England. They have this capacity to play with energy and can seize upon any and all loose balls. One way to quell this is for teams to keep the ball, remain patient and stay disciplined. Because India went away from these plans, England overwhelmed them, they kind of played through them in a way. When space wasn't there, they were also prepared to go over them.
2-1 in India's favour had become 2-3 courtesy two field goals before Nilakanta Sharma was sent to the bin for five minutes, a deliberate foul in midfield. In the same sequence of play a few minutes later, Bandurak sounded the board for a second time, this time from another penalty corner. It was the deathknell from an Indian perspective.
There's now no doubt about it. If they are to end one of the longest barren runs at the World Cup — 51 years without medalling — they will have to take the scenic route.