Indian boys found hard to adjust to the slushy ground conditions in the first half while Pakistan adjusted better and rode on a brace from Billwal-ur-Rehman to beat India at Takhti stadium.
India finished with three points from four matches. Bilawal scored his first when he headed it home in the 32nd minute, and then in the 43rd minute, he scored off a direct free-kick from outside the box.
Changing over, India pulled one back in the 55th minute when Johnnychand Singh blasted home an Anto Xavier cross from the left. The Indians pressed hard thereafter but stayed guilty of muffing from close on three occasions – Pronoy Halder, Holicharan Narzary and Johnnychand failing to place it in with the rival goalkeeper Saqib Hanif at their mercy.
Overall, the discipline in defence and midfield which had made India stand out among all teams stayed missing in the first half and Pakistan were fast to capitalise. Earlier, it snowed since the wee hours and there was some four inches of snow in the hotel premises when everyone peeped out of their windows prior to breakfast.
And when the team left for the Takhti Stadium at 1pm, the snow had grown to six inches, if not more. Everything around was white. Some 25 kms away, there wasn’t any trace of white at the Stadium. Instead of snowflakes there were raindrops. It drizzled, and drizzled heavily all throughout. The temperature was just above one degree and even with the gloves on, it was freezing.
