A golden night for Indian hockey

New Delhi: It was the scene of one of Indian hockey's darkest hours, but this Sunday was all about redemption for the home team.

Nearly 28 years after their humiliating 7-1 defeat to Pakistan in the 1982 Asian Games at the National Stadium in New Delhi, India finally laid to rest the ghosts of the past with a resounding 4-1 thrashing of their neighbours on Day 1 of the Hero Honda World Cup.

Amid stifling security, where the number of policemen and spectators was in a 1:1 ratio, give or take, about 20,000 fans braved the chaos around the venue to lend their voice to what they hoped would be a home win.

There was a lot riding on the match besides the three points for victory and the early advantage in the race towards a semifinal spot — for the organisers and sponsors, it was imperative for the hosts to do well to set the tone for the event. If India had been beaten, interest would have died an immediate death.

Controversies

There was little cause for optimism — India's team had been plagued by controversies throughout the run-up to the event and their Spanish coach Jose Brasa had a gag order placed on him. But on the night, it was clear that his tactical nous had proved too much for his Pakistani counterpart, Shahid Ali Khan.

India dominated the game from the start to very near the finish and only in a few patches did Pakistan threaten. Despite that, they were unlucky when the world's best drag flicker Sohail Abbas twice hit the cross bar off his set pieces. An inch or two lower, and things could have been different.

Overall though, there was no doubting India's superiority, especially in midfield. Brasa also ensured that Rehan Butt, who's made a career out of scoring crucial goals against India, was bottled up by the workmanlike Bharat Chikkara.

When the final whistle blew, there was relief and lots of celebrations. But Brasa was not getting carried away. "We dominated them in every area — at the front, in the midfield and at the back. But this is only the start. There are many more matches to go. So let's just keep our feet on the ground,'' he said.

Sandeep Singh, who was declared the man of the match for his two penalty corner goals was ecstatic. "This was my first world cup game and I was keen to make it count. But we had prepared well and it showed. We were the superior team today.''