Asia

MANISH KUMAR

LAHORE: Even as top hockey nations were going through their games on Tuesday, rising excitement for the India-Pakistan Champions Trophy clash coming up on Wednesday was already evident. Around 15,000 supporters turned up to cheer the home team in their match against the Dutch.


Almost one third of them stayed back to see if India showed better form against Germany in the last match of the day's schedule. They were a worried lot after watching the home team flounder against the Dutch in a 1-4 loss.

There have been bigger crowds to watch Pakistan's match. There were 25,000 when they played New Zealand on the opening day. But for India-Pakistan, the organisers are expecting around 45000-50,000.

The capacity of the National Hockey Stadium which is located on the Ferozepur Road is around 70,000. Tight security is in place with the three roads leading to the venue being manned by commandos.

On the field, however, the teams know that the key contest would be between Pakistan's dreaded penalty-corner specialist Sohail Abbas and the youngest member of the Indian team, goalkeeper Adrian D'Souza. Sohail's deadly flicks have been the major reason for Pakistan's recent domination over India.


But there was a remarkable change in the results after the entry of Adrian. The dashing goalkeeper's strong points are speed and quick reflexes. He can see the ball clearly even at a speed of 120 kms when it is released by Abbas.


India's chief coach Gerhard Rach had no problem in admitting that Pakistan seemed to be the superior team but was hoping that Adrian would inspire the entire team.

"We've played them so many times in recent months. At the moment, Pakistan is looking better. But tomorrow, the match could be decided between Adrian and Abbas." Pakistan's Dutch coach, Roelant Oltmans, who will be quitting the post after this tournament, is now a veteran of tense Indo-Pak battles. He said: "It will be a tense game but we hope to have no problems."

Interestingly, the two teams may again meet in the bronze match.

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