MCT: Pakistan skipper vows to bounce back against India
 |
| Pakistan |
December 7, 2004 
Press Trust of India, India
Biswajyoti Brahma
Lahore, Dec 7 (PTI) Their pride dented after the 1-4 loss at the hands of Holland, Pakistan today warned India to be on guard when the arch-rivals clash in a crucial match of the Champions Trophy hockey tournament here tomorrow.
Pakistan captain Waseem Ahmed said his team would bounce back hard after suffering the reverse against the defending champions at the National Stadium.
Both the teams had contrasting fortunes on the third day of the competition today with the hosts suffering their first defeat in three matches while their continental rivals notched up their first victory.
"We lost today despite playing well. We will definitely bounce back hard against India tomorrow," Ahmed said.
The Pakistan skipper said he expects his strikers, particularly Rehan Butt, to hit form against the arch-rivals.
"Rehan Butt is missing goal scoring opportunities and it's happening for quite some time now. He is a fine player but probably going through a bad phase. I hope he will find his goal scoring abilities tomorrow," he said.
Aware that a win tomorrow would take them a step closer to the final, Pakistan coach Roelant Oltmans said he was expecting a tough match.
"We are disappointed after today's loss but certainly the morale has not changed. Pakistan and India games are always special. But we have to beat them to come close to qualify for the final," Oltmans said. India coach Gerhard Rach, on the otherand, conceded that Pakistan would start as favourites in tomorrow's game but said his side would put in its best.
"They are the better team. But we ran close to Holland a couple of days back. We would make our best attempt against Pakistan tomorrow as well," Rach said.
India dominated their rivals for most of last year, but the equation changed completely this season as Pakistan won most of the contests between the two sides.
They won the high-profile match in Athens Olympics in August quite comprehensively while the eight-match Test series a couple of months back ended 4-2 in favour of Pakistan. PTI
Your opinion counts.
Rate this article or enter your comments below.
|
