ON Saturday afternoon, a team in Orange put India on the brink of elimination. A few hours later, though, a side wearing a dark shade of blue kept them in the World Cup. Talk about irony.
After Craig Fulton's wards lost 1-3 to the Netherlands in their Pool E encounter, they no longer had fate in their own hands. It's why some of them may have been forgiven for turning to the nearest TV set when it was time for pushback in the game between Argentina and England. The task for Argentina was simple. Win.
The task for England was also simple. Avoid defeat and eliminate both Argentina and India. The 2016 Olympic champions produced a controlled display to beat England 2-0. In the process, they set up a grandstand finish in the Pool where any of the other three can join the co-hosts in the semifinals.
For Harmanpreet Singh & Co., the only side still on zero points in the Pool, they have to beat Argentina on Monday. They also have to hope that England do not take any points off Netherlands in the later game.
They will have to focus on themselves though before worrying about permutations and combinations. They will need to start generating more opportunities in open play to begin with, something Fulton suggested when he was speaking to reporters post their 1-3 reverse against Netherlands on Saturday.
In a match watched on by Rahul Dravid and Steve Waugh (there for ETPL purposes), the World No. 8 had a few openings via penalty corner but they couldn't sound the board. Their opponents were disciplined, held the ball in tight spaces before opening the scoring in the 41st minute.
Cheered on by a partisan crowd, they always had the bit between their teeth. Knowing they could afford to sit deep and break at pace after scoring, India struggled from creating clear-cut chances at scoring a field goal. That's what happened over the last part of the game as India had a lot of the ball and even created a few scoring chances from set pieces but when they lost the ball, the hosts picked the ball and went and scored twice before the end of the game.
Netherlands' second and third goals were sandwiched by a goal from Harmanpreet from the penalty corner but it proved to a consolation goal at the end. More worryingly, the captain, who had reportedly missed a training session with a back issue on Friday, was seen receiving treatment on his back after scoring the goal. He had also missed vast parts of the second quarter.
They will need him to be fit and firing against the South Americans on Monday if they are to have any chance of mounting an 11th hour comeback. It won't get any easier. In a Pro League encounter in India earlier in the year, Argentina had blanked India 8-0. One thing that has repeatedly cost Harmanpreet & Co. at the World Cup is that they have not been to maintain control and dictate tempo.
Better late than never when Argentina come calling on Monday.
