After the agonising defeat against The Netherlands and a hard-fought victory against a second-string German team, coach Rajinder Singh has to alter his strategy to put India back on track in the elite championship.
India's inconsistency in the first two matches is hard to explain, particularly after their superb display in recent tournaments in Sydney and Hamburg. The midfielders have left much to be desired and Rajinder Singh has no choice but to shuffle his midfielders and hope the team regains the rhythm before it is too late.
With the midfielders and the defenders being quite disappointing, I think Vikram Pillay should be used in the midfield which has been the area of concern. Ignace Tirkey is not at his best while Viren Rasquinha has not been able to control the ball. There were no intelligent passes from the midfield to the forwards which has frustrated the strikers.
The Indians managed to earn full points against the energetic young Germans but it was not a performance which would would draw much inspiration. Many would have thought that the Indians would steamroll the experiemental German side, but it turned out to be a different story.
What an amazing display by the Germans. They were solid in their trapping, passing, tackling and kept the experienced Indians at bay till the 69th minute of the contest.
Obviously, coach Rajinder must be a relieved man after the narrow win but he has a tough job at hand to revitalise the team after an indifferent start to their campaign. The shoddy display in the first two matches has cast a doubt on India's propsects of breaking the Champions Trophy jinx. The team has to prove that they can still stage a comeback -- they certainly have the skill to do so.
The communication gap between the deep defenders while marking the opponents inside the striking circle is another factor which needs to be addressed. At this level of hockey the body language is not enough. One such situation saw three German forwards in front of goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan which resulted in their first goal being scored by Bendict Sperling.
No Indian defenders marked the Germans which is quite unthinkable. Conceding goals like this will be a major problem. The sooner they rectify this problem, the better it is for the team.
Though the German defenders matched the Indian forwards, I will give full credit to Deepak Thakur, Gagan Ajit Singh and Prabhjot Singh. They kept challenging the German defenders and exploited the vacant spaces very well. The authoritative display by these forwards helped India score all the three field goals.
Gagan Ajit is turning out to be the star player while Deepak is getting back his confidence. Prabhjot has a lot of skill and the good thing is that he still improving. The trio will have a crucial role to play in the remaining matches.
Although the forwards are doing a decent job, the same cannot be said of the midfielders and defenders. Rajinder Singh should shuffle his midfield and bring in Vikram Pillay, who is a very good player who needs to be given more opportunities.
The coach should also bring the long passes into play particularly from the wings. Most of the attacks will be fruitful when the forwards start playing from these areas. So far, all the field goals in the first two matches have come through this system of play.
But this can only be possible when the coach deploys Saini, Vikram Pillay, Viren and Ignace Tirkey in the midfield. Most of these players have not really lived upto their reputation as an individual or in the team system.
Rajinder should stress that they play 'free zone' hockey with quick passes and joining the attack in the process. This will enhance the rhythm of the game between the forwards and the midfielders.
Even in the match against Germany, all the three goals scored by Indians were due to the effort initiated by the midfielders, but they could do that only in the last ten minutes.
It is surprising that captain Dhanraj Pillay and veteran Baljit Singh Dhillon have been nowhere near their best in the two matches. They have lost ball possession quite often. It is true that they had been closely marked, but with their experience they should be able to make a bigger impact.
If they can find their best form, the Indian attack will look far more menacing.
The Indians will get the much-needed rest before taking on Australia. It will also give them time to regroup and come back to the field with more passion and determination.
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