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After the glittering and dazzling opening of the season 3 of the Hockey India League, it was business as usual for two of the six participating teams. With both, Kalinga Lancers and Ranchi Rays, looking to open the tournament on a positive note, the first match was intense, spicy and full of goals.The home team, Kalinga Lancers, beat the visiting Ranchi Rays by a scoreline that read 6-3. Lancers dominated most of the first half, having more shots on target and as a result, led by 3-1 at the end of the first half. In the second half, the Rays came back strongly by moving Captain Ashley Jackson further forward and it paid dividends soon. However, the Lancers scored another three goals to seal the match.Here are the five talking points from the opening encounter:
#1 Lancers defended well when it mattered the most
A team which has a mentor of Dilip Tirkey’s calibre will always possess great defensive strength. It was a fact that visible through almost the entire sixty minutes in Lancers’ game. The back five led by Gurjinder Singh and Spain’s Ramon Alegre were rock solid and held their fort safe when it mattered. Even though, they were scratchy at times (especially Gurjinder) they kept their nerves cool to seal the match.
The defenders reduced the incoming crosses from both flanks by making a crucial stops evey time.
#2 Team effort
Lancer's win emphasizes the fact they improved their overall performances from last season. On paper, they may be lacking star values, but they showed a wonderful unity on the field. Their forwards gave them an early lead, which the defenders capitalised well up to the third and fourth quarter.
Kalinga's victories also shows that the forwards need to fall back when it is mandatory. Their forwards ably supported the back line at difficult times by tracking back to ensure the team started the league with a victory.
#3 Failure of Midfield Trio
It is rare when all Manpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas and Birendra Lakra – the future of Indian midfield, are to blame, but that was the case for the Rays conceding early goals against the Lancers. The famed trio often failed to mark their men, especially Amit, who was solely at fault for the second goal.
To add insult to injury, both their goalkeepers had a very lull day at the bars. If the above three had performed well, the result of the game would have been totally different.
#4 Positives of Ranchi Rays
As the captain, Ashley Jackson led the team right from the front, but only received minimal support from his team-mates. He scored two out of the three goals of his team through penalty corners.
His performance was phenomenal as he moved well, scored a couple of goals and even created a few chances for his team mates. The only one who supported Jackson in the match was his international team-mate, Barry Middleton, who scored an wonderful reverse hit goal at the end of the first quarter.
#5 Twelfth man
Home team’s captain Vickram Kanth rightfully acknowledged the home crowd as their twelfth man at the post-match presentation. After a brilliant performance from the captain, who received the man of the match award, Kanth thanked the crowd for showing up in huge numbers and helping them win the match.
There was an electrifying atmosphere at Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Bhubaneswar today. The crowd roared whenever Lalit Kumar Upadhyay got the ball. In the end, the crowd got their money’s worth with lots of goals and a home win.
