Back in the reckoning after the hard-fought win over England, the Indian hockey team will be looking to plug the loopholes before they take on hosts Belgium in the six-nation Champions Challenge men’s tournament here on Tuesday.
After losing their first match to New Zealand 0-2, coach Joaquim Carvalho would be relieved after India prevailed 3-2 over England after squandering the lead twice. For India the scorers were Rajpal Singh (28th minute), Dilip Tirkey (41st minute) and Prabhjot Singh (54th minute). Richard Mantell(33rd minute) and Jonty Clark (48th minute) were the scorers for England.
As things stand now, India, Argentina, Japan and Belgium are tied with three points apiece behind New Zealand, the only unbeaten side in the fray after two rounds of the league.
England languish at the bottom of the table.
India’s win against England was a huge relief as it kept them in the hunt for a berth in the final.
“I am glad that two of the toughest games, against New Zealand and England, are out of the way. We have not been able to play to our potential mainly due to the extremely wet weather with rain soaking the pitch. We lost to the Kiwis but bounced back well to beat England,” Carvalho summed up.
India take on hosts Belgium next and the locals have shown improvement with each outing. With England virtually out for the count after two defeats, India’s chances of making it to the final appear bright at this stage. The key game for them could well be against Argentina on Thursday, but Carvalho is focussing on the match with Belgium.
“Results so far have shown that just about anything is possible. Belgium will enjoy the home advantage, including crowd support. They play a typical European style and I expect a tough game,” Carvalho said.
Tuesday’s matches (IST): Japan vs Argentina (6 pm); England vs New Zealand (8.15 pm); India vs Belgium (10.30 pm).