India Failed To Get Basics Right

India were drawn in a tougher pool for the Olympic Games but that cannot be used as an excuse for the way wemiserably failed to qualify for the semi-finals.

Just before the start of the league matches, I had said that India's first match against the Netherlands would be crucial in deciding our progress in the mega event where a medal has eluded us for the past 24 years.

In the game against the Dutch, India conceded a goal within the first five minutes due to lethargic trapping by the young Sandeep Singh which had a bearing on India's psyche right through the tournament.

However, India could have regrouped and should have played the rest of their four group matches with authority.They did that against South Africa and of course against eventual Olympic champions Australia.

A draw with Australia would have boosted the morale of the team and also raised their chances of coming back intocontention in Pool 'B'. But the last minute goal left a long lasting scar on the entire team management.

Against New Zealand, India once again went down in the dying minute, but here I thought we were done in by poorumpiring.

Even against Argentina what could have been a creditable victory resulted in a heartbreaking draw after the SouthAmericans equalised in the dying minute to relegate India to the fourth place with only four points.

India failed to win even those matches which were within their grasp. Also,they never started a game with confidence, most of the time they appeared to be under pressure. 

What hurt most was that India could not even get the basics right. They made errors in trapping, passing, close man-to-man marking and wing-half play, which rendered them inconsistent.

India also did not field the right starting eleven and it was appalling to see in the first three games that players were being substituted without any reason, denting their confidence.

The starting eleven should have been identified andallowed to play their natural hockey which would have made the players more confident.Substitution should have been made only when the player was tired or losing concentration. Butthis did not happen. 

Though Viren Rasquinha and Vikram Pillay had a good tournament, I think they were made to overwork because in thetwo crucial positions -- the left half and right half -- Ignace Tirkey and Sandeep Singh -- were found wanting. Had these two wing halfs done their duty well and playedto their potential, India would have definitely qualified for the semi-final.

In the mid-field, the Indian team missed the services of Vimal Lakra and Baljit Saini. In the upfront, the game was notplayed through the wings and most of the time the team was relying on the long passes of Gagan Ajit Singh which was notfruitful as there was no forward who could play and attack from the left wing.

When the forwards play to their potential, the opponent defence is stretched which creates more openings for the otherforwards to score goals. Throughout the tournament I think the Indian forwardsplayed only up to 20% of their potential which was surely not good enough.

Statistically, the Indians played seven games, won two, lost four and drew the other. They conceded 18 and scored 16 goalsin the entire tournament. This was inspite of keeper Adrian D'Souza who put up a sterling performance and surely was thefind of the tournament.

As far as the performance of other teams like Spain, Australia, Germany andthe Netherlands is concerned, all them played the semi-finals just because the playerswere committed and put up a consistent performance both in defence and attack.

It was heartening to see Australia win their first-ever gold medal at the Olympics although they reached the semi-final eight times, winning one silver and three bronze medals. For a country that plays a lot of hockey,they deserved this victory. The Aussies answered the supporters in the semi-finalitself against Spain whom they beat by a huge margin.

I think this instilled self-belief in the players who began to think that theycould win the Olympics. The Netherlands were under pressure before the final as they saw Australiabeat Spain so convincingly. However, the performance of Spain was commendable. Fromthe 11th position at the Sydney Olympics, they jumped to fourth place by sheer hard work.

The Olympics are over and the Indian team management should take a hard look at the team's performance instead ofmerely indulging in a blame-game. The Federation should start thinking about the future and how to bring up a good combination for the 2006 World Cup which in turn would lay a strong foundation for the 2008Olympics.

The plan and vision should not be confined only to the paper. It should be practical and transparent without relyingon short-cut methods.

PTI