Confident India takes on Germany today

By S. Thyagarajan

CHENNAI, MARCH 3. What invests the final hockey Test between India and Germany here tomorrow with enormous significance in ways more than one is the deadlock. Going Dutch after the second on Thursday at Hyderabad, India has definitely injected a mood of expectation and optimism of a possible series win. Repeating the truism that success in sport is ephemeral, any prognostication over the outcome at this point can at best only be wishful thinking.

Nothing however will inflate the morale of the national team than a 2-1 verdict of the series. If accomplished then a new vista is bound to unfold. How far Cedric and his boys are set to succeed is a question that every aficionado here must be asking as he makes his way to the Radhakrishnan Stadium tomorrow. There are no two opinions about the importance of hard work and planning to conquer the Germans again, whatever the factors working against the visiting team.

Confidence is one thing that the Indian team has acquired in abundance following the win at Hyderabad. There were phases when the workouts looked absolutely mellifluous, the charm and craft of stickwork and bodydodges taking the breath away. The performance of the colts like Prabhjot Singh on the wing and Bipin Fernandes in the mid-field elevated the whole concept.

Bipin is a material for the future and if handled well can serve the squad for long. Daljit Dhillon never raised hopes in the earlier outings. In fact, he was portrayed as unwanted in some of the international campaigns last year. But he seems to have blossomed up a great deal, if his showing in the series is any guide. It is undeniable now, and even acknowledged by the rival, that the strength lies in the defence. Cedric's move to using all the three - Dilip Tirkey, Dinesh Nayak and Lazarus Barla - simultaneously has certainly enhanced the solidity in the most important area.

The three mid-fielders-Thirumal, Saini and Gill-have been consistently outstanding. Thirumal in particular has been a threat even to the rival defence with his swift and sweeping moves whenever the opening was good enough for him to surge.

Pleasing was not merely the aesthetics of it but the palpable aggression, so manifest in the second Test. Even the Germans were a bit unnerved by the forthright methods. This only confirmed the efficacy of the fitness levels achieved by the team.

For the Germans too, the contest tomorrow is a do-or- die phenomenon. A drawn series may not affect them much as a second defeat in three meetings. After all, they are not as weak as they are imagined to be, possessing as many as eight who figured in the Olympics. Skipper Micheal Green, Bjorn Michel and Oliver Domke have a wealth of experience as do Sascha Reinalt and goal- keeper Clemens Arnold.

Youngsters like Chritian Wein, son of the famous coach, Horst Wein, and Justus Scharowsky, have been in the forefront of the earlier matches. Limited outdoor training back home is an inhibiting factor made worse by the sweltering heat. Many of the players are in the open now after experiencing snow and minus 15 temperatures only a couple of weeks ago.

Cedric is right when he says that nothing can be left to chance with the Germans, whatever be the negative factors. After all, they are the masters of set-play and possess appreciable measure of ingenuity to take advantage of even a minor loophole in the defence. They are sure to stretch in an effort to shackle the free flow of the Indians and devise ways to minimise the moving space for the forwards. For them, hockey is more a theoretical exercise based on science and technique and not always on artistry and individual adeptness.

Assessed therefore from any standpoint what is in store for the enthusiasts needs no exaggeration. Given the stakes involved it is bound to be exhilarating. And that should conform to the hockey history and tradition that are the envy to many of this leading centre for sports.

Cedric D'Souza, the chief coach, was indisposed yesterday and could not be present at the ground when the team went through the training under the supervision of the assistant coach, C. R. Kumar.

Like in Mumbai and Hyderabad, admission for Sunday's match at the Radhakrishnan Stadium is free. The match will be telecast live on DD Sports channel from 3 p.m.

The umpires: Mr. Md. Muneer (Tamil Nadu), Mr. Krishnamurthy (Karnataka). Reserve umpire: Mr. Kanagaraj (Tamil Nadu). Match director: Mr. V. Rajasekaran.

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