BHUBANESWAR: There is a certain mystique when an immovable object takes on an unstoppable force, especially in a team sport where goals are the primary currency. These matches essentially become a game of cat and mouse. One side wants control; another puts verticality at the top of the wish-list. In hockey, two of the best men's sides currently have embraced these opposite ideologies. In the one corner, you have Australia. High on energy, fast, physical and utterly vertical. On the other side, you have Belgium. Methodical, recycling possession and patient.
Historically, India have veered towards the former. Chaos, for a long time, has been their friend. Graham Reid so thrillingly channelised the madness to return with a bronze from the Tokyo Games. These days, under new management, they crave calmness. Their coach, Craig Fulton, wastes little time in reminding the team about defensive patterns, the importance of keeping the ball and building play from the back.
It's why their Pro League encounter against Australia at the Kalinga Stadium on Thursday was filled with potential, promise and lots of intrigue (that both teams are in the same group at the Olympics in Paris added a tiny bit of needle). Would India -- whose own journey towards wanting to be an 'immovable object' is a work in progress -- hold fort? How would their new ideology hold up against Australia, a team that had scored 43 times in their last nine meetings against India? The South African coach had definitely made the team sturdier but this was going to be a big test. It was also India's first match against the Olympic silver-medallists since Reid was shown the door a year ago.
If the 60 minutes is anything to go by, India's desire to become an immovable object will remain a work in progress for the time being. When the hooter cut through the evening air, Australia had scored six, with three of those coming in a crazy six-minute phase of play in the fourth quarter when the hosts tried to shut the game down. They were leading 4-3 with eight minutes left on the clock.
So, they tried to retain their shape, keep the ball and see out the match. Against most teams, this strategy may have worked. Against an Australian side full of veterans, it's asking for trouble. So, it proved to be as they scored three unanswered field goals (including one when the goalkeeper was sacrificed for an additional outfielder) to run out 6-4 winners.
After the game, captain Harmanpreet Singh ruined a lack of defensive stability for the scoreline. Coach Fulton echoed similar sentiments. "You can't concede six goals in a game, as simple as that," he said. Or concede two within the opening 150 seconds. Before India got hold off the ball to string a couple of passes, they were trailing 0-2 courtesy a couple of Blake Govers goals.
After waving the Australian players like they were an ambulance carrying a very sick patient, the hosts got into the game thanks to aerial balls that bypassed the Australian press. For the first goal, Hardik Singh, very much the heartbeat for this side when things go well, put in a floated ball that was controlled inside the 'D' by Sumit. Just as he was taking aim, a stray tackle by Ky Willott resulted in a penalty corner. It was hammered home by Harmanpreet Singh. 2-1 in the 12th minute.
Six minutes later, Harmanpreet had a pre-assist of sorts as his aerial diagonal earned India a PC thanks to an infringing Australian stick. The hosts missed the resultant set-piece but Sukhjeet was on hand to score a field goal. With Colin Batch's men still employing an aggressive press, a Manpreet diagonal saw them earn another set-piece which was cashed in by another rousing hit by Harmanpreet. 3-2 had become 4-2 just before the end of the half when a powerful Mandeep Singh drive from the edge of the striking circle almost tore the roof of the net.
In the beginning of the third quarter, it just seemed like the hosts stopped attacking; they did have some circle entries but they didn't register a single penalty corner in the last 37 minutes. Australia had also shut down the aerial avenue and began to pick off India on the counter.
The errors had begun to multiply as the visitors began to pile on the pressure (they had four corners in the third quarter).
That pressure ultimately told.