HIL 2016: ‘Distracted’ Punjab go down to UP’s wizards
Although he insisted his focus was firmly on hockey, there were apprehensions over Sardar Singh’s preparedness for Punjab Warriors’ home match against the UP Wizards on Thursday. A few hours before the match, the India captain addressed the media, giving his version on the controversy that has followed him for the last couple of days.
He looked composed, assuring that his mind was on the game later in the day. But when he stepped on the turf, Sardar — and rest of the Punjab players — looked a different unit compared to the one that had defeated Delhi Waveriders a couple of days ago. That 5-1 win was largely due to the brilliant midfield play by their captain Sardar, but he was unable to reproduce the form in front of home fans, eventually losing 3-0.
With Sardar looking off-colour, Punjab depended on Australian Mark Knowles to deliver the goods. Knowles marshalled the team from the beginning, first thwarting Ramandeep Singh’s attempt early in the first quarter before setting up Armaan Qureshi with a delightful ball which went agonisingly wide from the goal post.
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But as the match progressed, Wizards started to control the play with their experienced campaigners Wouter Jolie and Gonzalo Peillat controlling the defence with authority. Wizards were rewarded for their disciplined display in the 44th minute, when Akashdeep Singh put them ahead from a move initiated by former Punjab player Jamie Dwyer. The Australian set up the ball for Agustin Mazzili, who passed it further towards Tobias Hauke. The German deflected towards Akashdeep, who did not miss the first opportunity that came his way.
Warriors tried to make a comeback by earning two penalty corners in quick succession but failed to convert either of them.
