The 2-0 win against New Zealand today not only helped India climb to the second position in Pool B — they are ahead of the Kiwis on goal difference — but also kept their chances of qualifying for the 2004 Olympics. And if they beat Canada in their last match tomorrow, India can even make it to the semifinals of the qualification tournament.The performance against the New Zealanders, however, wasn’t convincing after their spirited display against Pakistan. Though a win was a must today, the Indians seemed to have somehow forgotten that they needed to boost their goal averages to avoid meeting the top team of Pool A.India started aggressively — they struck in the second minute itself — only to slacken their grip on the match soon after. With just three minutes left on the clock India struck again when Deepak Thakur tapped an easy ball into the Kiwi goal.The first goal scored by Arjun Halappa — with better understanding and rhythm in the forward line — proved to be the best move by the Indians in the match. Skiper Dilip Tirkey initiated the move from the Indian midfield. His piercing cross to Gagan Ajit Singh, standing on top of the Kiwi D, was gently crossed to Baljit Singh Dhillon, who set it up for Halappa for his final touches.After that, the Indian forwards struggled to get their acts together — they missed four chances — and their indiffferent form in the second session left a lot to be desired. They barely did anything to penetrate the rival D except on a couple of occasions in the second half.After a flying start, the team was expected to fire on all cylinders with their best 11 fielded for the first time — Arjun Halappa and Vikram Pillay were included in the startling lineup and the off-colour midfielder Baljit Singh Saini was bench for the major part of first half. The formation proved effective as the Indians had maximum ball possession and dominated the proceddings except finishing well in the first half.One positive outcome of the match, however, was defending penalty corners. They conceded six to the Kiwis — 22 in four matches so far — but goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan returned to his solid self after a sloppy showing against Pakistan the other night. Chauhan saved at least three PCs and four other chances that the Kiwi forwards had in the match.The other player to perform in the PC defence was Ignace Tirkey — the main charger in the team. His quick anticipation and ablity to take the pusher’s flick twice saved India some blushes. As for winning a PC, India had just one chance and Dilip Tirkey’s hit was deflected by a Kiwi defender. But India’s main worry continues to be the absence of a playmaker. In today’s match, a feeder of some repute could have easily taken charge to rebuild the Indian attack .The Indians are almost there now — qualification and winning a berth for the semfiinals shouldn’t be difficult — as they have to play only Canada, who are lying at the bottom of the Pool with just one point.
