Hockey India League sowing seeds of success for Indian hockey

There has always been a feeling in Indian hockey that bench strength is our Achilles heel – an area where top sides like Australia, Netherlands, Germany and Belgium hold a massive advantage considering the huge pool of players they have at their disposal. The HIL appears to have served India’s purpose of enhancing the supply line for the national team. One saw the likes of Mandeep and Akashdeep regularly feature in the senior team, while a few others kept playing for the Indian junior team with a fair amount of success.It was barely some months after the London disaster that Hockey India (HI) came up with a novelty, introducing the Hero Hockey India League in January 2013. The much-hyped league seemingly came to the rescue of Indian hockey unearthing some latent talents. Jalandhar boy Mandeep Singh turned into a poster boy of Indian hockey out of nowhere and played a big part in Ranchi Rhinos winning the inaugural HIL.
There isn’t an iota of doubt that Indian hockey is clambering up the performance ladder. The non-appearance of the national team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics for the first time ever, followed by a wooden-spoon finish at the 2012 London Olympics – their worst showing ever, are the probably the worst nightmares the team had to endure amid the steep slide in their fortunes over the years.

Mandeep was not the only success story of the Hero Hockey India League. The likes of Akashdeep Singh, Affan Yousuf, and Harjeet Singh came into their own, undaunted by the reputation of some of the big names of world hockey. Among the international lot, German Moritz Fuertse, Aussie trio of Jamie Dwyer, Chris Ciriello, Matt Ghodes, English duo of Ashley Jackson and Barry Middleton, Argentinean Gonzalo Peillat, Dutch goalie Jaap Stockmann, South African Justin Reid-Ross really lived up to their billing and have significantly contributed in ensuring that the HIL was a successfully rolled out product.

However, it cannot be denied that everything hasn’t been smooth for the organizers of HIL. The pullout of inaugural HIL champions Ranchi Rhinos and Dabur Mumbai Magicians from the 2015 edition did put a dampener on the tourney. But much of it evaporated as Sahara India Pariwar teamed up with Indian ODI cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to float a new Ranchi franchise in a new avatar – Ranchi Rays, while DoIT Sports Management (India) Pvt. Ltd, which owns the Delhi franchise of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) took up the Mumbai franchise renaming it Dabang Mumbai.

All and said done, the Hero Hockey India League despite all the pitfalls along the way looks poised to emerge an even stronger product going into the 2015 edition. Indian hockey will be surely blessed!

Is Ranchi Rays as formidable as now defunct Ranchi Rhinos?

Indian World Cup cricket captain MS Dhoni teamed up with Sahara India Pariwar to buy the Ranchi franchise renaming it as Ranchi Rays. So how much has changed in the team ever since Ranchi Rhinos turned into Ranchi Rays? Well, first of all, the Ranchi outfit has a new coach in Indian junior men’s team coach Harendra Singh – a known tough taskmaster and shrewd coach much like his predecessor South African Gregg Clark who was in charge for the 2013 and 2014 editions before stepping down.

Hockey enjoys a strong following in Ranchi. No wonder there was a pall of sadness all around when Ranchi Rhinos was pulled out of the 2015 Hero Hockey India League. The organizers of the Hero Hockey India League fully realized the soaring popularity of the sport in Ranchi and staged the semifinal and the final matches of both the 2013 and 2014 editions there. Of course, the packed stands at the Astroturf Hockey Stadium only vindicated the line of thought of Hockey India to have the knockout phase in Ranchi.

The Patel – Uniexcel Group – which owned the Ranchi franchise ­– withdrew from the much-hyped league much ahead of the 2015 edition citing differences over franchise fee with the organizers. So the Ranchi Rhinos exited from the HIL, leaving hockey fans wondering whether Ranchi will at all have a franchise in the 2015 edition.

German Moritz Fuertse is not part of the 2015 edition and English playmaker Ashley Jackson is wearing the captaincy armband. Team-wise, a large chunk of the players from Ranchi Rhinos are representing Ranchi Rays. Spanish goalkeeper Francisco Cortes, Englishman Barry Middleton, New Zealander Nick Wilson, South African duo of Austin Smith and Justin Reid Ross and Australian Fergus Kavanagh provide the foreign flavour, while the likes of Manpreet Singh, Birendra Lakra, Amit Rohidas, Kothajit Singh are some of the big Indian names playing for the Ranchi outfit.

So is Ranchi as strong as Ranchi Rhinos? One may say naam mein kiya rakha hai but Ranchi Rays appears to be a formidable unit much like Ranchi Rays. Since the fulcrum of the side is build around the players that were part of Ranchi Rhinos, they are a team to watch out for and can give any team a run for their money.

Looking to make the most of opportunities, says Kedar Jadhav

Kedar Jadhav has been one of the most consistent performers for his state side Maharashtra over the past few seasons. His consistency in the Ranji Trophy has been a big factor in him being on the national selectors’ radar, which resulted in a national call-up, culminating in his one-day international debut against Sri Lanka in Ranchi last November.

The 29-year-old strokeful batsman, who was among the 30 World Cup probables before missing the final cut, spoke in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

You were part of the 30 World Cup probables but did not make the cut. Any disappointments?

Not really! I see things practically and I also have to realize that I made my one-day international debut only one series before the World Cup, so there are no hard feelings. It is still a learning curve for me and I’m looking to sharpen my skill sets and get better with each game be it a domestic or international game.

How exciting was it to make your ODI debut against Sri Lanka?

Donning the India colours is an honour and I was really excited taking the India cap from assistant coach Sanjay Bangar. I just wanted to enjoy my first international game without getting jittery about it and it went off well. It was a big moment for my home state Maharastra as well.

You scored a quick-fire 20 off 24 balls. Memories of that brief knock.

I was feeling good about the way I was batting and should have finished the game. Captain Virat Kohli later told me to imbibe the habit of finishing the game as it can be beneficial to me as well as to the team. The pep talk from Virat will surely help me in the future.

Tell us a bit about the Indian dressing room atmosphere?

Well, it was quite vibrant and I really felt comfortable mingling with my teammates. Every team member made me feel comfortable and there were no nerves when I strode out to the field.

Having made your ODI debut, is Test cricket your next target?

Test cricket is the ultimate thing for any cricketer and I really wish to someday wear the Team India whites. Opportunities will be there and all I have to do is to remain consistent and grab those opportunities.

You have been scoring consistently in the domestic circuit over the past few seasons. Do you think that has really helped you to be on the national selectors’ radar?

Absolutely! Consistency is the key. I have this knack of getting promising starts and then getting out which was not helping my cause. I have worked on this facet and the results have been satisfying.

There was a line of thinking earlier that you are getting those sizzling thirties, forties and fifties and then getting out playing reckless shots.

True. I was looking good to play the big knocks and all of a sudden I would play a rash shot and get out. If you look at my stats, you will see that I have got more consistent towards building my innings rather than throwing my wicket away after getting in.

You have played the IPL for three franchises – Royal Bangalore Challengers, Kochi Tuskers and Delhi Daredevils. How has the IPL helped you as a player?

The IPL is a great platform for any upcoming cricket and it allowed me to grow as a batsman. I got the opportunity to face some of the world’s top bowlers – an exposure which has served me well.

Who is the most difficult bowler you have faced in your cricketing career?

Dale Steyn. He has pace, swings the ball both ways prodigiously and can be a lethal customer at all times.

How do you assess the standard of domestic cricket in India?

I think it is getting better and better all the time. Pitches have improved in leaps and bounds as there are too many bowler-friendly decks unlike many years back when batsmen used to dominate the bowlers. We now have third umpire for Ranji games which is really nice and facilities have been exemplary for the players.

Interview: I don't fear losing: with HS Prannoy

Indian badminton has been growing in stature over the years, with a slew of players making their opponents worldwide sit up and take notice of them. HS Prannoy is another shuttler, who has been sedately clambering up the performance ladder with a string of impressive performances over the past few months.

The 22-year-old Kerala lad is on a ‘high’ having won the recent Tata Open in Mumbai. Prannoy has been in resounding form, having earlier racked up his maiden singles crown at the Indonesian Masters in September last year, following a semifinal finish at the Vietnam Open.

Prannoy, currently ranked 21 in the world, spoke  in an exclusive interview.

Q You had finished runners-up at the 2013 Tata Open going down to Saurabh Varma, but must be chuffed going one better this time around defeating MRV Gurusaidutt in the final?

Yeah it was really great winning the Tata open this time. It was a good tournament for me as I could beat so many good Indian players.

Q You started 2014 on a strong note reaching the semifinals of the India Grand Prix Gold tourney and then had a modest run of results, but you really took off in the second half of the year with a runners-up finish at the Vietnam Open followed by your maiden singles win at the Indonesian Masters?

I think I played really well throughout 2014, but the results started coming in the second half with Vietnam and Indonesia tourneys and so many good tournaments followed by that. I think it was just because I started played much more confidently in the second half of 2014.

Q How would you assess your maiden singles triumph in the Indonesian Masters?

It was a must-needed win for me in Indonesia as a singles crown win was long due for me. I was disappointed after losing in the final of the Vietnam Open, but after that I went on to win the Indonesian Open the next week, which was really good.

Q You started the year 2014 with a ranking of around 49 and now you are perched at 21 – the country’s third highest singles player – to which single factor would you attribute your ranking leap in the last twelve months?

I think I have become more consistent now and the one factor is my confidence level, which has really gone up and I don’t have any fear of losing, which has made me to play much freely

Q You have been training at the Gopichand Badminton Academy since 2011 – how do you rate him as a coach?

As far I’m concerned he is the best coach. After coming to the academy I have improved my game so much and it's all because of his changes in training. Gopi Sir really knows what's going in the world badminton and keeps changing the training accordingly. That's the best part of him.

Q There is a feeling that you have been around for some time, but hasn’t quite lived up to his promise. Do you think you are in the best form of your life and your current run will enhance the impression that you are all set to realize your immense potential.

I know success does not come so easily and I’m one of them, who had to wait for quite some time and I guess now I’m playing really well and maybe in my best form. And maybe I can play much better in the coming days.

Q Who according to you is the toughest player to beat and why?

Among the current lot I guess Chen Long is one of the toughest players to beat because if you get your strategy wrong against him it's tough to play. He is very fit and strong and it's pretty tough to penetrate him without a correct strategy.

Q How do you look assess the current health of Indian badminton?

Indian badminton is looking really great as of now. We have so many good results coming our way in last 2-3 years. (Kidambi) Srikanth, (Parupalli) Kashyap, (Nehwal) Saina, (PV) Sindhu all are at their top and have been winning so many tournaments. So this is one of the best periods of Indian badminton.

Exclusive Interview: I have learned to control my speed: SV Sunil

This piece was published in Stick2hockey.com

It won’t be exactly out of place if one says that SV Sunil at times, leaves us frustrated given the talent and the kind of speed he possesses. But the 25-year-old Coorg lad seems to have turned over a new leaf - first excelling in the four Test series in Australia and later in the Champions Trophy in Bhubaneshwar.

Sunil was the cynosure of all eyes at Perth where he dished out a magnificent reverse shot match-winner, following a stupendous run in the second Test before scoring again in the third Test. At the Champions Trophy, he gave India the lead against Olympic silver medallist Netherlands, which panned out to be their first win over the Dutch in eighteen years.

The Indian striker shunned his ‘often seen loose play’ upfront and came up with a disciplined effort be it in scoring goals or setting it up for his team-mates. “I have been working on my game. My coaches have been telling me to control my speed as I tend to show promise in moving up but my lack of control ensures the ball goes out of play and the attacking move is wasted,” he puts forth his thoughts in an exclusive interview.

The demure Indian forward realizes the importance of making the most of his burst of speed. “Speed is my lethal weapon for my opponents and I want to use it judiciously and not overdo it so that my team reaps the benefits of it. I have learned to control my speed,” he observes.

Sunil, who recently moved to Bharat Petroleum, which also features team-mates Manpreet Singh and Birender Lakra, feels playing the full-strength top sides will put India in an advantageous position ahead of the 2016 Olympics. “Look, we have played these top sides and we now know their strengths and weaknesses. Our video analyst will help us in figuring how we can outmaneuver them in our upcoming tourneys, especially the 2016 Rio Olympics which is less than two years away.”

He has no doubts that India can really turn it on at the Rio Olympics if they maintain the consistency over the next seventeen months. “Consistency is the key and if the same bunch of players perform as we have been doing in recent times, there is no reason why we can’t win a medal in Rio,” he exudes confidence.

Dwelling on India’s superb Test series win over Australia, Sunil believes the team showed a lot of character after losing the opening Test. “Our coach was very angry when we lost the first Test 0-4, but the boys turned it around winning the next three Tests.”

He agrees frequent encounters with world champions Australia have inculcated plenty of self-belief in the side. “We have played Australia nine times this year and lost the first one 2-7 in New Delhi after taking a 2-0 in the first twenty-odd minutes. If you look closely, we have narrowed the gap and ended up winning three and losing six. Obviously playing top sides regularly helps and in this case regularly facing Australia worked in our favour,” he signs off. 

Why the tearing hurry to make 'clean chit-given' Terry Walsh a fall guy?

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

Why would you rock the boat when everything is going fine? Hockey lovers across the country pretty much asked this same question when Indian men’s hockey team coach Terry Walsh was declared ‘non-grata’ by Hockey India. The apex hockey body accused the Aussie of engaging in ‘financial wrongdoing’ during his stint as USA Field Hockey High Performance Technical Director.

The ‘financial irregularities’ angle took all by surprise including the top mandarins at the Sports Ministry and Sports Authority of India, as the latter was in the process of hammering out a fresh contract with Walsh after the Australian coach voiced his displeasure over bureaucratic hurdles among other issues he endured during his one-year stint as coach. It’s a different matter altogether that Walsh wanted the new contract according to his own terms and conditions, but the point is: how could Hockey India accuse the Aussie of financial impropriety without substantiating it?

One hates to talk about the politics that goes on in Indian hockey as the sheer passion and well-being of the sport keep me focused on purely the on-field stuff. Hockey India, unlike the erstwhile Indian Hockey Federation, has been doing a fabulous job of picking up the pieces since India's disastrous wooden-spoon finish at the 2012 London Olympics. Hockey India deserves all the praise for adopting a professional approach, but has indeed cut a disappointing figure with this so-called ‘financial irregularity’ allegation on Walsh.

Let me make one thing clear – no way am I suggesting who is right or wrong. All I’m asking is: why was Hockey India was in a tearing hurry to brand Walsh a ‘villain’ without allowing him an opportunity to prove his innocence? It’s absolutely fine if Walsh is proved guilty and Hockey India cracks the whip on him, and I’m sure no hockey lover would question that. But to brand somebody a culprit without furnishing adequate proof only smacks of a feeling that the hockey body was just not ‘comfortable’ with Walsh around for reasons probably best known to them.

Over the years, Hockey India has hardly put a foot wrong, and we all laud the way they have been running the sport in the country, but this incident clearly left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

Hockey India has made it clear that Walsh is a closed chapter for them, but how do they respond to the fact that USA Field Hockey has given a clean chit to the Aussie, denying that he was involved in any financial wrongdoing during his stint at USA coach? Every coach is replaceable and no one disputes that, but finding a coach with the same credentials as Terry Walsh will not be easy with less than two years left for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

One has to understand that that the team has settled well under Walsh and achieved huge success in 2014. His critics may say hockey is a team game and one man cannot be given all the credit, but it can’t be denied that the head coach along with the entire support take the credit or brickbats along with the players for a team’s success or failure.

Walsh left no one in doubt that he really got a ‘process’ going in the Indian team and ensured that the team played as a unit. He was perhaps the best performing foreign coach India has had so far. Players may never admit in the public domain about how much they gained under Walsh, but deep inside they are deeply indebted to him for bringing a sense of ‘oneness’ in the side.

Roelant Oltmans also did a superb job at the Champions Trophy, but the seeds of the country’s stellar effort in that tourney were sown by Walsh. If Walsh was guilty of any wrongdoing and has underperformed as coach, Hockey India can sack him and nobody will have a problem. But to declare somebody guilty without giving him an opportunity to hear his side of the story leaves a lot to be desired.

The show will go on and somebody will take over the coaching reins, and probably India will win a medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and we will all rejoice. But hockey lovers will have a feeling ingrained their minds – that Terry Walsh was declared ‘unwanted’ in Indian hockey for reasons beyond our comprehension.

The USA hockey’s clean chit to Walsh should have been responded positively by Hockey India, who have been carrying themselves so well over the past few years. This issue will invariably leave hockey buffs with more questions than answers!

Exclusive Interview: Have self-belief to beat top sides: Dharamvir Singh

This piece was published in Stick2hockey.com

The Indian men’s hockey team’s eye-catching performance at the 2014 FIH Champions Trophy has triggered a great deal of hope that the country is steadily taking the ‘significant strides’ towards reaching the pinnacle of world hockey. A second consecutive fourth-place finish in the premier Champions Trophy (they had finished fourth in the 2012 edition in Melbourne) has enhanced the expectations of the hockey fans with the 2016 Rio Olympics not far away (less than two years to go for the marquee event).

The way the Sardar Singh-led side rose to the occasion against higher ranked sides like Netherlands, Belgium, Australia and Germany in front of their home fans should surely give hockey the desired leg-up in the country. Indian forward Dharamvir Singh has no doubts that hockey is indeed heading in the right direction. “There is little doubt that this team is capable of bigger things. We showed in the Champions Trophy that we can upset the applecart of the best in the business. We now have the self-belief to beat the world’s top sides; we defeated the Netherlands after 28 years and even beat world number four Belgium. Remember, we had defeated world champions Australia in a four Test series in Australia. All these results can’t be a flash in the pan – I believe if this same bunch of players remain together we are capable of winning a medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics,” he says in an exclusive interview. 

The 24-year-old striker dwells on the Rio Olympics, appearing carried away by the talk about the big-ticket event. “We have beaten all top sides this year and best teams are watching us closely. If we can reach the semifinals of the Rio Olympics, it will be a big thing for Indian hockey,” he gushes.

The tall, strapping forward cherishes the match against Belgium, where he scored the fourth goal and bagged the Man of the Match award. “The Belgium game was good for me as I scored our fourth goal in the 49th minute. Overall I was really chuffed with my performance in that game as I won the Man of the Match award as well. I started off in the first game against Germany on a sedate note, but gradually my intensity went up and was pleased to have contributed towards the team’s success.”

The Ropar-born youngster, who has played 96 internationals so far, attributes India’s superb run in 2014 to Terry Walsh. “He is a fantastic coach. His efforts really helped the team to become a strong force. The team really shaped up well under him, which was carried on by Roelant Oltmans in the Champions Trophy in admirable fashion,” he observes.

A product of the Chandigarh Hockey Academy, Dharamvir, who made his senior international debut during the seven-match Test series against Canada in 2009, is considered one of the top of injectors of penalty corners. So what’s his take on that? “It feels good if people say I’m good at penalty corner injection. It needs focused skills as speed and accuracy are crucial as drag-flickers need to find the right rhythm to unleash.”

Injuries have ensured Dharmavir hasn’t quite been able to cement his spot – a knee injury put him out of competitive action for a long period – his comeback at the 2012 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup tournament was his first tournament after the 2010 Asiad.

The Jaypee Punjab Warriors player feels that hockey has plenty of incentive for youngsters in the country. “There was a time when people used to say that hockey featured players belonging to poor families, but not anymore. Youngsters know there is money in hockey and are looking to make a career out of it which is good for Indian hockey,” he fires a parting shot.

Exclusive Interview: Indian team is playing as a team, says Gurbaj Singh

This piece was published in Stick2hockey.com

If there was one thing that was ‘missing’ in the Indian hockey for many years – it was self-belief – something the current Indian men’s hockey team seems to be have in abundance. The national team has had an impressive year so far – don’t remember when was the last time the Indian team exhibited such high degree of consistency – a silver in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, an Asiad gold followed by a Test series win in Australia and to top it all a fourth-place finish at the Champions Trophy aptly sum up the highs the Sardar Singh-led side has scaled over the past twelve months or so.

Midfielder Gurbaj Singh has been a key figure of the Indian team’s success. The 26-year-old played his part in every international tourney this year and left no one in doubt that his return to the national fold was a smashing hit, after being in the wilderness for close to two years after the 2012 London Olympics. “The biggest difference I have noticed since I made a comeback to the side is that the boys are playing as a team. The same bunch of players has been playing for a long while now and there is a great deal of camaraderie among the players, which is helping the team,” Gurbaj says in an exclusive interview.

Gurbaj, who made his senior international debut at the 2006 Doha Asian Games, believes the national team is looking good to churn out more impressive results in the future. “The way we are playing as unit, I’m confident that this team will deliver at the 2016 Rio Olympics. I can’t tell you whether it will be a podium finish or not, but our performance will be good.”

The Punjab Police DSP gets excited talking about the games against Netherlands and Belgium, which he terms as India’s best games of the Champions Trophy. “We really raised our game against the Netherlands and Belgium and came up with memorable results. We fought hard against Germany but the late goal by Fuchs did us in. I thought we dominated the opening two quarters against Argentina and created several scoring chances but did not convert and Argentina made us pay by scoring two late goals.”

There is a line of thinking that the presence of Gurbaj has eased the workload on skipper Sardar Singh, allowing the latter to flourish in the best way he can. “I just try to do my best on the field and if it helps the team’s cause there can be no bigger satisfaction than that. As I said we are playing as a team which has been key to our success in 2014,” he quips.

The Pakistan players’ lewd gesture at the Champions Trophy and their skipper Muhammed Imran subsequently claiming that some Indian players came to their dressing room after winning the Asiad gold in Incheon and abused them caused much heartburn in Indian hockey circles. Gurbaj takes a dig at the Pakistanis. “Tell me if our players had gone to their dressing room and abused them will they allow us to abuse them without responding strongly. These are baseless allegations from Imran. The Pakistanis let everyone down with their lewd act.”

So what will India’s next international engagement? “Well, nothing has been finalised as yet, but I think a tour to New Zealand or some other country may happen before the Hockey World League. Of course, we have the Hero Hockey India League before that,” he signs off.

India lose 1-2 to Australia, finish fourth

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

A close defeat can often make it a tad tough for a team to rebound when the next match is a bronze medal play-off tie. India faced a similar predicament when they locked horns with world champions Australia at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar. The home side dished out a fighting performance, but had to settle for a 1-2 defeat, to finish fourth in the tournament – at the 2012 edition in Melbourne they had also finished fourth.

The world champions did not make it easy for the Indians, pressing hard from the outset. The Kookaburras unleashed a quick passing game and looked to pin India in their latter’s half. The Aussies held sway over the midfield even as India searched for answers to Australia’s fast breaks.

The Aussies after a goalless opening quarter pulled ahead in the second quarter when Jacob Whetton worked his way on the right and fed skipper Eddie Ockenden, who calmly breached the ‘determined defence’ of Sreejesh.

The Indian forwardline pressed the urgency button and exerted pressure on the Australian defence, but goals eluded them. The yellow-and-gold brigade forced a penalty corner in the closing stages of the second quarter, but Jeremy Hayward’s drag-flick resulted was well saved by Sreejesh but as the ball rose a follow-on short corner was awarded. Chris Ciriello took the set-piece indirectly, but Sreejesh stood tall as India trailed 0-1 at half-time.

India were kept at bay but they triggered excitement among the home crowd when Manpreet Singh engineered his team’s first penalty corner, which resulted into a follow-on short corner after Rupinder Pal Singh’s drag-flick was thwarted. The home crowd went into frenzy when Lalit Upadhyay tapped home amid a goalmouth melee after Ramandeep’s shot was blocked after Manpreet set it up. Frayed tempers marked the match with SV Sunil being embroiled in an ugly tussle with Tim Deavin – an incident which saw the Aussies first provoking the Indian.

Matt Ghodes gave Australia a 2-1 lead in the final quarter slamming home a rebound after Jacob Whetton set it up with a backhander. India created serious pressure but muffed up an opportunity to be on level terms in the final quarter when they won their third short corner, but Akashdeep Singh deflected wide off an indirect attempt. Akashdeep missed another sitter in the dying moments as India settled for a 1-2 defeat. 

Spunky India lose 3-4 to Pakistan, to play Australia for bronze

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

 

It was a contest where no quarter was given and no quarter was asked for. India-Pakistan hockey matches are invariably like that. On Saturday, the Kalinga Stadium crowd in Bhubaneshwar witnessed another intriguing tussle.

India rebounded twice after being 1-2 down and 2-3 down, but in the end succumbed to the resilence of Pakistan, who rode on an Irfan Muhammed late goal to seal their berth in the Champions Trophy final where thety face Olympi champions Germany on Sunday. It was the second time on the trot that Pakistan had beaten India in a Champions Trophy semifinal – at the 2012 edition in Melbourne India had lost 2-3 to settle for the fourth spot.

In fact, it was Pakistan who looked menacing in the early stages – they drew two splendid saves from Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh.

India slowly settled down into some kind of rhythm and forced their first penalty corner in the 10th minute. Gurjinder Singh slammed home to trigger wild celebrations among the home crowd. The Blueshirts made a hash of the slender goal advantage when Gurbaj Singh was yellow-carded for a tough tackle on a Pakistan player. The Greenshirts tried to make the most of the numerical superiority forcing their first penalty corner on the stroke of half-time.

Fortunately for India, Pakistan could not get that in as the Muhammed Imran tried the indirect route and Muhammed Rizwan Senior deflected wide.

Pakistan pulled all stops in the second quarter and equalized through Arslan Qadir in the 16th minute as silence enveloped the Stadium – it ensured they took full advantage of the fact that the home side were one man short.

SV Sunil orchestrated a fine move on the right and created his team’s second penalty corner in the 21st minute, but Rupinder Pal Singh’s drag-flick was parried away by Imran Butt. Sunil was in sublime form creating several threatening moves, and was fouled by Irfan Muhammed which led to the latter being yellow-carded – it meant both sides lost their video referral in the first half itself.

Like the start of the second quarter, Pakistan commenced the third quarter with a bang as Muhammed Waqas gave his side a 2-1 lead.

India summoned desperate measures in search of the equalizer, and forced two back-to-back penalty corners, but on both occasions Pakistan thwarted those attempts.

The Sardar Singh-led side brought the crowd alive as Akashdeep Singh created a crafty move from the right and fed Dharamvir Singh, whose backhanded broke Imran Butt all ends up.

Pakistan took the lead for the second time in the match when Irfan Muhammed converted a short corner in the 49th minute.

There was more twist in the tale when Nikkin Thimmaiah made it 3-3 in the 52nd minute off a razor-sharp Gurbaj Singh cross.

The hopes of the home side were killed off by Arslan Qadir who scored in the dying moments to give Pakistan a 4-3 win.

India will now play world champions Australia in the bronze medal play-off on Sunday.

Exclusive Interview: No Ranji side can take J&K lightly anymore, says skipper Parvez Rasool

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) cricket has been steadily clambering up the performance graph over the past few years. The state side had qualified for the knockout phase of the Ranji Trophy last season after a hiatus of twelve years (they last featured in the 2001-02 season).  If that ‘quarterfinal entry’ was a ‘serious beginning’, the J&K Ranji side ensured all eyes in the first round games of the 2014-15 Ranji Trophy season were riveted on them as they pushed the envelope to shock 40 times Ranji champions Mumbai by four wickets in their own den to deliver a big statement.  J&K Ranji team captain Parvez Rasool, who led his side to the quarterfinals last season, where they lost to Punjab at Vadodara, played his part in the demolition of Mumbai.  Rasool, who made his ODI debut earlier this year on the tour of Bangladesh and is among the 30 World Cup probables, spoke on his team’s monumental win in an exclusive interview.  

Excerpts:  

Q How special does it feel to beat a side like Mumbai in their own backyard? 

The entire team is excited about beating Mumbai, and what makes our win even sweeter is the fact that we beat them in their own backyard. We guys in Jammu & Kashmir have grown up hearing about Mumbai’s impressive Ranji Trophy record and the stalwarts they have churned out over the years. To be honest, the feeling of beating them hasn’t sunk in yet. This win will surely be a big boost for Jammu & Kashmir cricket. 

Q What do you think was the secret of this monumental Ranji Trophy match triumph? 
I think self-belief was the single big factor that helped us to pull off this great win. The boys knew they have the wherewithal to do it and showed at the Wankhede that they can rise to the occasion.  Q:

Q Do you think the Jammu & Kashmir team will be now taken seriously by other Ranji sides? 

I believe other Ranji teams will take note of this win and will be on their guard when they play us in the next round of games. Jammu & Kashmir won’t be a pushover anymore, and no team will take us lightly.  Q: You are the first cricketer from J& K to play for India.

Q What kind of pep talk you have been giving to your teammates before the Ranji season started? 

I feel proud that I’m the first cricketer from the state to play for the country, and I’m sharing all my experiences with my Jammu & Kashmir Ranji teammates. I have been telling the boys to back their abilities and (if they do so) performance will happen. The team is a talented bunch, and we are hoping to fare well in all our upcoming Ranji games. 

Q The floods in J&K disturbed your team’s Ranji preparations. Your thoughts. 

It was a difficult period for all of us. Our Ranji preparations were hampered owing to the floods that ravaged the state. Our entire Ranji side first did our training in Chandigarh for about ten days and then in Nagpur for about twenty days. The odds were stacked against us, but we managed to tide over the odds. 

Q You have made it to the 30-man World Cup probables. Do you think you stand a decent chance of making the final cut? 

The only thing that is in my hand is performance. I’m looking to perform consistently in all domestic games till the final World Cup squad is picked. I want to stay positive and hope for the best. 

Q Do you believe that being an all-rounder will help your selection case better than others? 

I consider myself as a bowling all-rounder, a spinner who could bat decently. It all depends on what the selectors think is the best combination for the World Cup. On my part, I will let my performance talk and like to keep my fingers crossed. 

Q You were first picked in the national team for the 2013 tour of Zimbabwe, but you did not play in any of the matches. Your thoughts. 

It was a big moment as I toured Zimbabwe under Virat Kohli, who is a great motivator. I got an opportunity to share the Indian dressing room, and the excitement to be among the big names of Indian cricket is hard to describe it in words. I learned a lot from that tour although I did not play in any of the matches. 

Q You made your ODI debut against Bangladesh earlier this year at Mirpur. Must have fond memories of that game. 

The Mirpur ODI has to be the biggest moment of my cricket career so far. It was a flat deck with little purchase for the spinners. I got the wickets of Bangladesh opener Anamul Haque and skipper Mushfiqur Rahim, finishing with 2 for 60 from my quota of 10 overs.