India let France come back, take series
 |
| India |
December 28, 2004
The Times of India
MANISH KUMAR
NEW DELHI: India choked in the final stages of a contest yet again. And alarmingly so, against hockey minnows France. They won the two-Test series 1-0 after drawing the second match 3-3 at the Shivaji Stadium on Tuesday. The French scored all three goals in the second half - the last two in a span of three minutes with 10 minutes remaining.
The Indian show was unbearable for aficionados who were expecting them to rebound from a surprise 1-3 loss to their rivals on Monday. The atmosphere at the stadium was charged up after the match as the fans were left perplexed at the series loss even as former Olympian Ashok Kumar stood there in a poignant mood.
At the other end of the stadium, India coach Jagbir Singh was trying to put up a brave face to the torrent of questions from the media. He tried to defend the players, saying, "It wasn't that bad today." He, though, admitted that the team was complacent in the first match and took the French team lightly.
Your opinion counts.
Rate this article or enter your comments below.
|
