To Read Part 1, click here
To put things in perspective, this was the ‘Do or Die’ match for India. Having won comfortably against Pakistan and lost meekly to Australia, India had to win this one to stay in contention. The goal immediately in front of us was of India’s in the first half and we got to see a lot of action. The Spaniards were breathing down our necks all the while. It never felt that India were in the game. The ball was all over the place and our striking abilities seemed like a big Achilles’s heel. The game which looks zapping on the television comes in waves and Indian defense was always caught napping. The boisterous crowd became adept at clinging to the silence as and when the Indian D was raided. It was only a matter of time before Spain was up 1-0.
The hunt for equalizer resulted in India’s first penalty corner, deep into the first half. Had it been just the noise made by the crowd on the penalty corner, Referee would have given a goal to India, but…alas. Sandeep Singh experienced the fall from the pedestal after being hero-worshipped since the India Pakistan match. He (or the Team) would fail 5 out of possible 6 times during the match. The gradual transitioning of the crowd’s mood from being supporter to an outsider was visible. What kept us sitting was the belief in the next 35 minutes as Spain led 2-0.
The game was played with utmost punctuality, measured to the seconds. The first touch on the ball was precisely ten minutes zero seconds after the break. The first ten minutes of the second half were an eye candy to an Indian Hockey Fan. The precise passes, the mid-field magic, the play for possession and frequent dashes to the other half made the experience exhilarating. Within minutes, India earned their second penalty corner and converted it with a sense of purpose and utmost ease. The audience got their few moments to cherish as the placards which were biting shoes during the half time were dusted off and held high. ‘Come, Fall in Love’ stated a placard while the tunes of ‘Chak De India’ reverberated through the stands. With this goal, we fell in love with Hockey. We started planning to watch India’s next match with England that too in the stadium; perhaps with a 500 Rs, ticket. By the way, this was the only time when the ‘Cheer Girls’ were really smiling. The score line read 2-1 in favor of Spain with more than half an hour of play remaining. We sensed a chance.
‘If your flag is flying high, bullets will hit everyone but you,’ used to say our MBA professor. Ours was not flying high that day. Back to back goals within minutes of play made the collective ‘heart’ of the ‘ecstatic crowd’ come out. The goal and the goal to the semis now seemed a distant dream, only to be fulfilled by some supernatural activity. The giant screen declared the score line as 4-1 and I felt like bombarding the screen with imaginary cannon balls. Hockey balls however were repeatedly finding the nets. India went a goal better the next minute but the crowd’s conviction level was all evaporated by then. The fight in the mid-field ensued and each passing minute brought us closer to a loss. When India lost 4-2, I could hear one of the many disappointed fans saying in Shahrukh Khan’s style – ‘Those 70 minutes, those 70 minutes of ours were wasted by the Hockey team.’
The whole ambience was so dazzling that we never felt the pain of India losing. It was a new experience and we enjoyed thoroughly as our pre-set notions about stadium viewing were dismantled by the impeccable conduct of the match. It’s only when we were out of the stadium that it began to sink in. We gave our ‘Dil’ to India; winning would help!
P.S. I enjoyed our way back to the car park in CP on an overloaded auto (6 people). It was so nice of the traffic policemen to allow it that way.
By the way, India lost 5-2 which I got to know while I watched the midnight news bulletin in an effort to figure out if ‘I was Live on TV when I gave my Dil to Indian Hockey’
