Press Trust of India
Raipur, Dec 2: A disappointing pool campaign fresh in their minds, an inconsistent India will have to raise their game by leaps and bounds as a dangerous Great Britain await the hosts in the quarterfinals of the ongoing Hockey World League (HWL) Finals here Thursday.
India are still searching for their first win in the tournament, having finished last in Pool B with a draw and two losses. Great Britain, on the other hand, topped Pool A with two wins, which include an upset 2-5 victory over World champions Australia.
India’s game has been erratic so far in the tournament. After a lacklustre showing against Argentina, the Sardar Singh-led side produced an inspired performance to hold Olympic champions Germany to a 1-1 draw before witnessing another off day in office, losing 1-3 to the Netherlands.
Indian midfielders’ performances have been steady in the three matches but it is the finishing from the strikers, which is an area of concern for the hosts.
The striking force of Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh, SV Sunil, Talwinder Singh and Mohd Amir have turned out to big disappointment in this tournament, wasting numerous scoring opportunities. Out of the five, only Akashdeep scored a goal in the 1-1 draw against Olympic champions Germany.
The Indians have so far scored just two goals in three games and one of them have been from a penalty corner. It just goes to show the ineptness of the frontline in front of the opposition goal.
The backline too needs to pull up their socks as India have already conceded seven goals. And come Thursday, the Indians will have to produce their best in all departments of the game if they want to upstage the World No. 4 Great Britain.
Great Britain has impressed all and sundry with their brilliant display in the pool stages. Even though they are here without the services of some experienced players like Barry Middleton and Ashley Jackson, they have looked threatening – aggressive in attack and compact in defence – in all the matches they have played.
The Dan Fox-led British side did not have the best of outing in their 3-1 win over lowly Canada in their opening match but as the tournament progressed they got into their groove. After beating Australia, they played out a 3-3 draw against Canada.
But even then in spite of such a show, Fox is not ready to take things likely. “India are always dangerous, when they play at home,” stated Fox. “People are talking about their inconsistency. By those same standards, they can certainly attain brilliance against us. So we have to be careful,” he added.
