Real fightback!!!

[Sportive guy..!]

Guys (I mean all Indian sportslovers!), those of you who did not see yesterday\'s INDO-PAK Hockey match at the Champions\' Trophy, I HOPE THIS INDIAN FIGHTING SPIRIT WILL REMAIN THE BENCHMARK OF ALL FUTURE ENCOUNTERS IN HOCKEY!
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HERE\'S THE STORY... (please do comment!)
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India convincingly put it across Pakistan 7-4 in the Champions Trophy hockey tournament here Friday, a match that turned out to be the most scintillating game of the tournament.
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A result like that, played between two exponents of traditional hockey played at its very finest and at an unimaginable speed for the entire 70 minutes, was a dream come true for any hockey fan, and so it was for the 5,000-strong crowd, who were on the edge of their seats for its entire duration.
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Skipper Dhanraj Pillay, now in the twilight of his long and illustrious career, termed it his finest moment. He has played quite a few matches in which India has beaten Pakistan, but here, in a display coming after a week full of disappointments, it was a commanding performance.
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The match started with a sea of Indian and Pakistani flags fluttering in the stands. The weather held up too, despite the clouds. There were some drops of rain before the match, but when the game started, it was a pleasant breeze at a temperature of around 17 degrees Centigrade.
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In an action-packed match played in a charged-up atmosphere, there is always the chance of things getting a little out of hand.
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An over-enthusiast twice breached the security and ran onto the field, and three minutes before the end with India 7-4 up, Pakistan\'s Saqlian Mohammed was agitated with the aggression of the rampaging Indian team. A stoppage that lasted almost four minutes threatened to get out of hand, as players from both sides approached each other menacingly.
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\"I told my boys to keep calm and play out the remaining time. I managed to keep my own calm and composure,\" said the normally restive Pillay.
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Admitting it was one of his best matches, he added: \"Any win against Pakistan is among the best for me and the team. But beating them by this margin is just fantastic. This is the highest we have scored and I am proud to be the captain of this team.\"
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He also acknowledged the pressure on the team. \"Facing the media after defeat is always tough. So, motivating the team after such a week was indeed tough, but I am glad we did it. The team was simply superb.
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\"We played so well for 62 minutes against Holland and then lost it in last eight minutes.\"
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The Indian forward line finally found its bearings. But then, Pakistan was as exciting. The game never had a dull moment with either an attack or a counter-attack every 15 seconds. The fact that both teams managed such a pace for a full 70 minutes also indicated how a mental high can carry a team beyond its physical abilities.
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The game turned on its head in less than 14 minutes, between the 52nd and 65th, when India from a 2-4 deficit worked themselves to a 7-4 lead, which they held on to in the last five minutes.
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Pakistan will rue the loss, as it ended their hopes of a shot at the title. In their effort to strive for more than they could manage, they left their midfield open, and the defence had holes in it.
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To add to that, their goalkeeper, the experienced Ahmad Alam, allowed tension to get to him and he often left space for the Indians to exploit.
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The match began in an explosive manner with a penalty corner for either side in the first three minutes and that start promised a perfect display of Asian hockey at its best. The promise was kept for the remainder of the period.
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Pakistan earned a second penalty corner in the seventh minute, but the normally reliable Sohail sent his flick high over the goal as tension crept in.
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Jawad Kashif, Nadeem, Shabbir Hussain and Mudassar Ali roamed dangerously in Indian striking circle, and time and again created chances. But it was in the 18th minute, through their third penalty corner, that Pakistan struck.
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In a variation, Sohail sent the ball much lower, closer to the ground and to Chauhan\'s right and Rehan Butt lying in wait deflected it in to open the scoring.
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Three minutes later, Nadeem Ahmad hit a reverse shot from top of the cirle and found the target high to Chauhan\'s right to make it 2-0.
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Jugraj opened the scoring for India in the 24th minute with a fine penalty corner conversion to make it 1-2, before Pakistan extended their lead with Mudassar finding the net off a stray ball into the circle to make it 3-1.
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India managed to stay in the frame as they earned their third penalty corner in the 34th minute and Jugraj, rising to the occasion, made no mistake to send it high into the net to reduce the margin to 2-3.
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In the second half, Pakistan earned two quick penalty corners, their fifth and sixth, and Sohail struck off the sixth to make it 4-2. That was the time Pakistan became overconfident as they went out to increase the margin but left open spaces behind.
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India did well to exploit that and between the 52nd and 66th minutes scored five times without reply to go from 2-4 to 7-4.

[Kulcha Hyderabadi]

Was an absolute thriller! Enjoyed every moment of it. Well done India! Wish they had played with the same gusto, purpose and planning in the earlier games. Anyway, a win against Pakistan in Hockey is always welcome. There is a possibility that India and Pakistan will have to play for the third position (bronze). That would be a cliff-hanger!

[Andhraite]

Come on, India!!! You have everything in you to conquer the universe.