The `I' in IOC which has hitherto stood for Indian should decorously make way for `Invincible' vis-avis their hockey team. If they keep stretching their winning streak with the same thirst for victory they might soon forget what it is like to experience defeat, in case they haven't already forgotten.
In the first semi-final of the MCC Murugappa hockey tournament at the MRK stadium on Saturday IOC had a reliable ally in resilience as they overcame BPCL 6-4.
For large chunks of their match against BPCL it appeared that IOC were going up a blind alley before they thought it was time they swapped the imposters in them for the paladins that people have come to identify them with.
And so the dream that BPCL had of setting right their dismal head to head record against IOC continues to remain a pipe dream. BPCL did put up a valorous fight but as they found out to their consternation the best they could summon up wasn't enough.
The second semi-final between IOB and PNB, which was interrupted by a cloudburst, saw IOB romping all over PNB to comfortably win 5-2 and thereby setting up a dream final with IOC on Sunday.
It will make for a fascinating contest to see V.R. Raghunath, adjudged the player of the tournament in the Asia Cup, slugging it out toe-to-toe with P.R. Sreejesh, recipient of the best goal-keeper award in the same tournament.
But it wouldn't have come to that had BPCL who did most things right not fumbled at the most inopportune of moments with the tie delicately poised at 4-4. At that critical stage the oscillation of victory was still undecided on whose side to perch.
Raghunath, however, took matters into his own hands and converted a penalty stroke to make it 5-4 with a little over 10 minutes remaining to tilt the scales in IOC’s favour. In all Raghunath contributed, as has become the norm, a lion’s share of four goals with the other two coming from the sticks of Rosan Minz and Dharamveer Singh.
At half-time BPCL could have been forgiven if they had already let thoughts of playing in the final flash through their minds as they were leading 3-1.
All that euphoria transformed into anguish upon resumption as IOC got into their groove and began stamping their authority by repeatedly forcing their opponents into errors.
IOB have seen their journey come a full circle and they broke no sweat in laying PNB to rest. Vinod Rayar helped himself to a brace while the prodigy that is V. Shanmugam doesn't seem to stop scoring as he has found the back of the net in all five matches.RESULTS: IOC 6 (V.R. Raghunath 4, Rosan Minz, Dharamveer Singh) bt BPCL 4 (Sher Singh, Gurupreet Singh, Pundalik Bellary, Hari Prasad); IOB 5 (Vinod Rayar 2, Adam Sinclair, V.Shanmugam, own goal) bt PNB 2 (Arjun, Damandeep). Action today: Final: IOB vs IOC (6.15 pm). IOC's Raghunath pocketed four goals against BPCL while IOB's Vinod Rayar scored a brace against PNB.