Hockey nationals: Punjab pack off champs Haryana

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There’s a thin line that divides those who play well under pressure and those who succumb to it. On Monday at the KSHA Stadium here, Punjab found themselves on the positive side which saw them storm into the final of the 2nd Hockey India men’s senior national championship.

Conversely, a young Karnataka side paid dearly for their ill-advised show of temper and were shut out of the semi-finals by Air India.

In the final on Tuesday, Punjab — who outclassed holders Haryana 4-1 — will lock horns with Air India who edged out Karnataka 3-2. Leading 2-0 at half-time, Punjab scored through penalty-corner specialist Gurjinder Singh (15th, 21st), Satbir Singh (51st) and skipper Sarvanjit Singh (55th) before Naveen Antil notched a consolation goal for Haryana.

Punjab showed a lot of character, while Haryana committed far too many errors that put them on the defensive for much of the match.

Haryana depended far too much on ace midfielder Sardar Singh to construct moves that tended to be right-wing oriented and with the Punjab defenders excelling in marking and covering, the attacks came to naught.

In the second semi-final, Karnataka held court against the star-studded Air India before their wheels came off.

From their attacks to defence and midfield control, the hosts’ dominated Arjun Halappa’s men thoroughly. But when it mattered the most, skipper V.R. Raghunath lost his cool and the match too. Following their captain blindly, the Karnataka youngsters too resorted to rough tackling.

With eight minutes left, Karnataka were reduced to nine men and failed to withstand the pressure and came apart.

Earlier, playing half-court press and a tactical game, Karnataka tormented the lacklustre Airmen and went one-up a minute before half time when Pundalik Bellary latched on to a cross from Rafeeq Sheikh and slotted home with ease.

The second half was no different, as Karnataka put the rival defenders under pressure. After some close misses, Nitin Thimmaiah’s solo foray into the striking circle in the 44th minute saw the Indian camper score.

Results (SF)
Air India 3 (Arjun Halappa 50, 61; Vinaya 70) bt Karnataka 2 (Pundalik Bellary 32, Nitin Thimmaiah 44). Punjab 4 (Gurjinder Singh 15, 21; Sarvanjit Singh 51; Satbir Singh 58) bt Haryana 1 (Naveen Antil 58).