Chandigarh, May 30
In a few hours from now, one of the biggest events in hockey will kick off and India will begin their campaign against a team that came into the tournament after winning the qualifying tournament.

While Belgium beat defending champions Australia in the final of the Hockey World League Semifinals in Rotterdam to qualify, India’s journey to the World Cup was one of uncertainty; they were one of the last teams to qualify. That is the reason why India, ranked 10th in the world, should be considered the underdogs not only in the opening match but also in the whole tournament, where each team comes extremely well prepared after two to four years of development.

An example is the Belgian team, which has risen to world No. 5 after four years of planning and development. India, on the other hand, have come into the tournament with a coach who has not even completed one year, and a team filled with first-timers.

Even head coach Terry Walsh has not been overly optimistic about his teams’ chances: “We have to understand that the way ahead is tough and the team has worked hard and I am hopeful that we will do well in the World Cup.”

Lack of experience

Except for captain Sardar Singh, Gurbaj Singh, VR Raghunath and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, all others are playing in their first World Cup. Most of the players, especially the forward line, have less than 40 India caps, while Jasjeet Singh and Lalit Upadhyay, who replaced Ramandeep Singh, are making their international debut.

In the last eight months since Walsh was appointed, India played in only one major tournament: the eight-team World League Final. Other than that they played five matches in a preparatory tour to the Netherlands.

In the World League Final, where almost all top teams brought experimental squads, India finished sixth.

During the tour of Netherlands, India won one match and drew one against Dutch clubs Leiden and HGC, respectively, and lost three — one against Belgium and two against the Netherlands.

While the young team doesn’t have anything to boast about, injuries to Ramandeep and Nikkin Thimmaiah right before the tournament would have dented their morale. “It could affect the morale of the youngsters,” said Sukhbir Singh Gill, former India player. About the inexperience of the team, Gill felt that the team management should have opted for a few more senior players. “The average age of the team would be 22-23 years. They should have gone for more experience.”

However, he added that maybe the lack of form of the senior players, especially in Hockey India League, was a big factor.

Expectations low

“It’s a young team and the coach too hasn’t been around for long, so we can’t expect a lot,” said Shivendra Singh, former India forward. A reason why he felt there hasn’t been much publicity.

Baljit Singh Saini, former India player, though irked by the lack of hype due to ‘the elections and the IPL’, felt that it could prove beneficial for the team. “It could ease the pressure, but I doubt how much. It will be crucial how the coach handles the young players,” Saini said.

Saini, who has trained most of the young players during his stint as the junior team’s coach, said that if India play to their potential, they could finish in the top six.

Realistic but positive

Saini added that the first match against Belgium would be crucial. “A good result will rid the team of the first-match jitters. A draw will be great and a win exceptional. A good start will give them confidence, but they have to be realistic. They can’t play every match to win it. But they have to be positive.”

“They shouldn’t be thinking about beating a team like Australia but playing well against it. But it’s easier said than done. The game has become so tactical and fast that each player has to stay focused for the full 70 minutes for the team to perform well and this mental consistency comes with experience,” he said.

Since taking charge, Walsh has been complaining about his players making too many common mistakes.

How well has Walsh been able to understand the players and how the players have been able to gel with each other in such a short time could soon be evident as the tournament begins.

The Hague, may 30
Injury-hit India will be seeking to reverse the tide of their recent encounters against Europe's rising hockey powerhouse Belgium in the World Cup opener at the Kyocera Stadium on Saturday.

Far removed from the glorious era of India's global domination, the Sardar Singh-led team is aspiring to give a credible show in the World Cup, where India have not qualified for the semi-finals for nearly four decades since the title triumph of 1975 in Kuala Lumpur.

European Cup runners-up Belgium are the new force to contend with on the hockey turf after making impressive strides during the past three years. Starting with the Champions Challenge in Johannesburg in 2011, where they upstaged India in the last five minutes to clinch the title after conceding a two-goal lead, the Belgians have lost just one of the past four key encounters with India.

The Belgians went on to post a victory over India in the 2012 Olympics Games, but their wayward shooting allowed India to hang on to a lone-goal lead in the quarter-finals of the Champions Trophy in Melbourne later that year. In their last meeting, Belgium dashed India's hopes of emerging winners in the World League Finals play-off for the fifth position.

"We're ready for the big moment," says Sardar Singh, while the team's high-performance director Roelant Oltmans stresses on the need for consistency if India are to maintain their upward spiral in the sport.

The last-place among 12 teams at the London Olympics was the most embarrassing moment for India, winners of eight Olympic gold medals in the past. "It's a tough group, and the players are aware of the challenge confronting them," says Dutchman Oltmans, who guided The Netherlands to both the men and women's World Cup titles.

Under him, the Dutch men also won the Olympic gold medal. Oltmans says India would need to put up a sound performance to improve or even emulate their eighth-place in the last World Cup.

"We could produce some surprises if we can be consistent," he said. Having seen frequent changes to its coaching staff, India are now under the charge of ex-Australian striker Terry Walsh for whom "psychology has been a significant area of team preparation." "We have introduced new tactics and focused on the development of each player," says Walsh, who expects the Indian players to prove their mettle by raising the level of their game against stronger teams.

"We have the potential, but need to go in with confidence and believe in our ability."

A good start against Belgium could prove to be a boon for India, whose 4-1 victory in the 2010 World Cup opener against Pakistan paved the way for India's eighth-place finish — the best in recent times. — PTI

JALANDHAR, MAY 30
Aslam Sher Khan, who scored a vital goal against Malaysia in the 1975 World Cup semifinal, has vivid memories of the final against Pakistan. "The Malaysian government, following its team's defeat to us, had banned Indian flags inside the Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur," he says. "But the moment we became champions, thousands of flags appeared! Enthusiastic fans surrounded our dressing room, crying and shouting in excitement! Some were beaten up by the police for entering the restricted area, but nothing could deter them. It's then I realised the emotions of our fans after a long-awaited win."

Ashok Kumar, who scored the winner in the final, mentions the training camp in Chandigarh. The camp came about when the then Punjab chief minister, Giani Zail Singh, sanctioned a sum of Rs 5 lakh to train the team. The camp was held in the Punjab University campus, and the team was lodged at a new hostel, located opposite the girls' hostel. "I think it was a deliberate plan to boost our determination and motivation!" Ashok says. "We used to practise extra time even at nights just to impress the girls flocking the balconies and roofs of their hostel. But our top aim, of course, was to win the World Cup." He says that they were not allowed to go even close to the girls' hostel, but were taken inside to meet them after their win.

The win over Pakistan, who beat India in the 1971 World Cup semifinals, led to a national celebration. "It was a fantastic experience to be recognised in public," says Ajit Pal Singh, captain in 1975.

However, the win didn't change too many things for the players. Ashok, for instance, remained a flight purser with Indian Airlines, with just two increments in his salary, Rs 50 each. "It used to hurt many passengers to see me serving them tea and snacks even after the win, I did not feel bad as it was my job. No regrets!" quips Ashok.

Harcharan Singh, who also scored in the semifinal against Malaysia, recalls how the players relaxed. "We didn't have much money in those days. Our idea of an exciting evening was to have beer, away from the hawk's (coach G.S. Bodhi) eyes, and singing movie songs like 'Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna' and 'Mera Rang De Basanti Chola'!" says Harcharan. Due to Bodhi's strictness, they couldn't carry bottle-openers, so they devised a way to open beer bottles with the blades of their hockey sticks. Harcharan's teammates recall that he had the maximum female fan following.

Virender Singh remembers how two Jalandhar colleges, the Lyallpur Khalsa and DAV, vied to win over players from the winning team. "I, Onkar Singh and Ajit Pal were studying in Khalsa College," he says. "After the win, DAV College offered us free accommodation, education and even pocket money to join them, but we turned down the offer without giving it a thought."

The controversial goal

The 1975 win was marred by a controversy over the goal scored by Ashok Kumar in the 67th minute of the game, with echoes going back to the 1973 World Cup. In the 1973 final between India and Holland, India led 2-0, and Surjit Singh "scored". The Indians said it was a clear goal, but it was disallowed by Malaysian umpire Datuk G. Vijayanathan. Holland equalised 2-2, and won in the tie-breaker. The umpire was criticised for disallowing the "goal" that could have put India decisively ahead at 3-0.

In 1975, when Ashok scored the winning goal, Vijayanathan took some time before declaring it a goal. Pakistani players accused that because of his guilt of disallowing Surjit's goal in 1973, Vijayanathan "gifted" India this goal.

Mumbai, May 30
Perhaps the “catches win matches” cliché should be changed to “run-outs win matches”. What transpired in the Qualifier 2 between the two-time champions Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday sort of necessitates the change.

After Virender Sehwag ripped apart the Chennai attack with a thundering 122 off just 58 balls, with 100 coming off just 50 balls, to help Kings XI post a mammoth 227 for 6, the Punjab outfit displayed brilliant fielding skills to restrict the Chennai juggernaut to 202 for 7 and march into their maiden final.

Punjab will meet 2012 champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the summit clash on June 1 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

Chasing an improbable target, Chennai were surprisingly very much in the hunt with Suresh Raina playing a scarcely believable knock. With his side in trouble after losing Dwayne Smith (7) and Faf du Plessis (7) early on, Raina promptly responded to the call of duty, and knocked the stuffing out of the Punjab bowlers with an unbelievable exhibition of strokes. His 25-ball 87 included three fours and one six off Sandeep Sharma in the second over; one four and two sixes off Johnson in the fourth over; and an astonishing five fours and two sixes off Parvinder Awana's single over, taking Chennai past 100 in just six overs.

And just when he looked close to scoring the fastest ever hundred of the tournament, after hammering a 16-ball half-century, the disaster struck. The first ball of the seventh over, bowled by Karanveer Singh, brought doom to CSK, from which they never recovered. Brendon McCullum pushed the ball towards the covers and called for a single; Raina responded with a little hesitation. Bailey moved across quickly and fired in a direct hit to catch Raina short of his crease. Raina was gutted, while McCullum looked distraught.

From 100 for 2 in six overs, Chennai slipped to 143 for 6 in 13 overs, scoring just 43 runs from the next seven overs, needing 84 off 42 balls.

At the same time, McCullum too was brilliantly run-out. A superb throw from Glenn Maxwell found the Kiwi skipper couple of yards short of his crease. None of the CSK batsmen - Ravindra Jadeja (27), David Hussey (1), Dhoni (42 no) could do much as CSK fell short by 24 runs. Earlier, the 32,000-odd spectators were treated to some breathtaking strokeplay by Sehwag as the 'Nawab of Najafgarh' rolled back the years to send Chennai bowlers on a leather hunt.

It was sheer carnage as Sehwag carted the Chennai bowlers all around the park. The Delhi marauder looked in supreme form and brutalised every bowler with an array of delightful strokes. Apart from the familiar hits over long on, he didn't shy away from pulling some over midwicket, and sending a few scurrying to the ropes between point and cover. Sehwag's masterful innings was decorated with 12 fours and an eight sixes.

Scoreboard
Kings XI Punjab
Sehwag c du Plessis b Nehra 122 (58)
Vohra c Raina b Pandey 34 (31)
Maxwell c Raina b Ashwin 13 (6)
Miller run out 38 (19)
Bailey b Nehra 1 (2)
Saha c Smith b Sharma 6 (4)
Johnson not out 1 (1)
Extras (b 1, lb 1, w 8, nb 1) 11
Total (6 wickets; 20 overs) 226
Fall of wickets: 1-110, 2-148, 3-211, 4-218, 5-225, 6-226
Bowling
Nehra 4-0-51-2
Pandey 4-0-35-1
Sharma 4-0-46-1
Ashwin 4-0-44-1
Jadeja 4-0-48-0

Chennai Super Kings
Smith b Sandeep Sharma 7 (11)
Du Plessis c Bailey b Johnson 0 (1)
Raina run out 87 (25)
McCullum run out 11 (16)
Jadeja c Johnson b Awana 27 (21)
Hussey c Sehwag b Awana 1 (3)
Dhoni not out 42 (31)
Ashwin st Saha b Patel 10 (11)
Mohit not out 1 (3)
Extras (b 4, lb 4, w 6, nb 2) 16
Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 202
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-67, 3-100, 4-140, 5-140, 6-142, 7-167
Bowling
Johnson 4-0-44-1
Sandeep 3-0-32-1
Awana 4-0-59-2
Karanveer 4-0-32-0
Maxwell 1-0-4-0
Patel 4-0-23-1
MOM: Virender Sehwag

Paris, May 30
Roger Federer needed four sets to make it through to the fourth round of the French Open on Friday, beating Dmitry Tursunov 7-5, 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-4. No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic defeated Marin Cilic, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, to advance to the round of 16 for the fifth straight year.

San Marino, May 30
Germany captain Philipp Lahm and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will not be included in the squad to face Cameroon in their penultimate warm-up game ahead of next month's World Cup, giving the two players more time to fully recover from injuries.

Captain Philipp Lahm and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will not be included in the squad to face Cameroon in their penultimate warm-up game ahead of next month's World Cup, giving the two players more time to fully recover from injuries.

BRIEFLY

Botham to deliver MCC Spirit of Cricket lecture
London: Ian Botham will deliver the 2014 Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture at Lord’s on September 3, it was announced on Friday. The England great will become the 14th person to give the annual address named after the late Colin Cowdrey, like Botham a former England captain.

‘No one has courage to stand up to Srini’
New Delhi: The COO of Federation of International Cricketers Associations (FICA) Ian Smith reckons that no one in the ICC has the “courage to stand upto” BCCI president N Srinivasan and ECB chairman Giles Clarke as they cast a “very large shadow” in world cricket. In a very significant letter written to unrecognised Cricket Association of Bihar secretary Aditya Verma, Smith has informed him that FICA is “working behind the scenes to influence ICC officers to do the right thing” in regards to preventing Srinivasan to become the chairman of the ICC Executive Board.

Flintoff returns, to play for Lancashire
London: Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is coming out of retirement to play domestic T20 cricket with Lancashire. The 36-year-old retired in 2010 after the previous year's Ashes series er. “I'm really honoured to be part of Lancashire once again,” Flintoff said in a statement. — Agencies