Pressure blamed Pakistan’s hockey loss to India

ISLAMABAD - Hugely disappointed by the crushing hockey defeat by India, Pakistanis are blaming the pressure of playing before roaring Indian fans for the Commonwealth Games humiliation.

From hockey lovers to experts, most people feel that the Pakistani plot invariably tends to go wrong whenever there is a high voltage clash with India — that too on Indian soil.

Pakistan’s forward Akhtar Ali, speaking on phone after the Sunday match in New Delhi, said: “The team played under pressure and could not perform upto their potential.

“The team somehow always feels this pressure while playing India in their backyard.”

Former captain Muhammad Saqlain said the team was not prepared for such a big clash.

“It made no sense to hold a training camp in Holland,” he said. “The hockey federation had not made any attempt to plug the loopholes in the team.”

Predictably, headlines of most newspapers and TV channels in Pakistan were hogged by the gold medal winning wrestlers Azhar and Inam, who bagged glory the same day the Pakistani hockey team went down fighting.

“The wrestlers make Pakistan proud as hockey team disappoints,” said the Express newspaper. Other dailies echoed similar sentiments.

India crushed Pakistan 7-4 to storm into the semi-finals of the men’s hockey competition in New Delhi’s Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, with some 20,000 Indians rooting loudly for the home team.

Cheering VIP spectators included Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi.

India put on a dazzling display as they ran circles around Pakistan. After leading 4-2 at half-time, India finished with an admirable 7-4 score.

Pakistan showed only flashes of brilliance, with the ace forwards kept in check by the Indian defence.

Aslam, coach at a Pakistani hockey club, expressed utter dismay “at the way the team played”.

He said: “The ball remained in Pakistan’s half for most part of the match which shows that our team was in a defensive mindset… Indians capitalised on this weakness.”

Zafar, an engineering student, said the team failed to rise to the occasion. “They were not inferior to the opponents in any manner but undue pressure of the big stage got to them.”

“The result is no surprise because we have hardly won any big match of late,” said banker Sarwar Gondal.

Pakistan coach Michelle Van Dan said after Sunday’s match that “he was also shocked by the manner in which the team played”.

(Awais Saleem can be contacted at ians.pakistan@gmail.com)