India booked their top position in Pool D in the Junior Men Hockey World Cup, but not before braving some spirited fight by the South Africans on Monday. They had to fight tooth and nail at the Major Dhyan Chand stadium in Lucknow before prevailing 2-1. After a flawless show against Canada and England, this was a wake-up call for the side, who now take on Spain in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
Playing a hard man-to-man marking game, the Springboks had enough spring in their heel to match the home side. That upset the free-flowing game of the home side. Their dependable linkman and skipper Harjeet Singh also wasn't in his best form. And that starved the Indian forwards with proper through passes. To add to the woes, they even committed elementary mistakes in trapping and ball relaying. Twice they even failed to stop the ball on their penalty corner attempts.
But, that's not to take the credit away from the South Africans. They had enough verve and speed to bother the Indians all through. Their defenders were sure-footed and their goal keeper Siyavuya Nolutshungu came up with a marvellous display to deny the Indians many a times.
Indians broke the ice in the 11th minute on a foggy evening as Armaan Qureshi weaved in from the left inside the South African circle. His first attempt was saved by Nolutshungu, but the ball rebounded to Harjeet, who slotted the ball home with a crisp shot.
The Springboks earned their equalizer off a short corner in the 28th minute. Kyle Lion-Cachet came up with a powerful drag-flick to the right of Vikas Dahiya, giving the Indian custodian no chance. Then, after some furious exchanges, India got the winner in the 55th minute when Mandeep Singh came up with a superb reverse hit after receiving the ball from Harjeet Singh.
Stung by the reverse, the visitors threw everything into the attack. But the Indian defense braved some tense moments before the hooter sounded relief for the cheering home crowd.
