Hockey World Cup 2018, India vs Netherlands: Same blueprint but poles apart

In contrast, India's struggles are more real. They haven't come within sniffing distance of a medal. In that context, Thursday's quarterfinal, one can argue, is their best chance to end the 43-year wait to reach the last four of the World Cup. It's fitting in a way that India should meet Netherlands in this match of extreme significance. In the decades of decline, the Dutch have been a benchmark for Indian hockey. They've looked up to the Netherlands at all times. Sometimes grudgingly, like the constant comparisons with abundant infrastructure. At times, for inspiration - be it tactical or philosophical. India and Netherlands have traditionally played similar styles - for both, playing fast, entertaining hockey is sacrosanct. The difference has been that the Dutch do that with a lot of precision and structure, which makes them a tough team to crack while India were stuck in the rut of chaotic, often individualistic, style. It took two-and-a-half Dutchmen to bring structure to Indian hockey. Roelant Oltmans, who was the coach when Netherlands last won the World Cup in 1998, retained India's distinct style but made the players better by teaching them to operate as unit. Paul van Ass taught them tactics while Sjoerd Marijne, in his short stint, tried to make them better thinkers on field. One thing that all three were successful in doing was changing India's habit of holding on to the ball unnecessarily and make them play 'give-and-go' hockey. Ironical as it may sound, but it is the Dutch influence on Indian hockey that gives this team the confidence of beating Netherlands in Thursday's quarterfinal. Why this is India's most important game in recent times Five years of preparation, five years of International Hockey Federation's largesse and a perennial state of chaos later, it has come down to just one match. The World Cup quarterfinal against the Netherlands on Thursday can have a huge bearing on the sport's immediate and long-term future in the country. If India beat the Dutch, it will be the first time since 1975 that the team will reach the semifinals of a World Cup. That has the potential to revive the sport's dipping fortunes in the country. Despite making progress in recent years, hockey has once again started to lose commercial appeal, which was one of the reasons why the Hockey India League had to be shelved. A win on Thursday can not only reinvigorate the sponsors, it can also inject some much-needed optimism in the sport after decades of cynicism. In case of a defeat, though, it won't be surprising if Hockey India once again puts the coach's head on the chopping block. The sport may not die, but it will continue to exist in oblivion. Dutch have an edge Four years ago, you wouldn't have given India the slightest chance in games like these. Make no mistake, Netherlands still hold an edge. But no one is writing India off, especially the Dutch media, who are present here in considerable numbers hoping that, this time, they can make it all the way. "60-40, in India's favour," is their call. What has changed? Their ability to adapt, especially in this World Cup. In the three matches India have played, they have been challenged with three very different match scenarios and the players have shown remarkable presence of mind to deal with it. In the first match, South Africa - after they were pummeled in the first quarter - crowded the midfield in the second and choked India for space. The home side took a couple of minutes to understand what had changed and responded by putting extra men forward themselves, thus negating South Africa's advantage. When Canada slowed down the pace and frustrated India, the players waited patiently and changed the gears in the final quarter, when they scored four goals in the space of 11 minutes to seal the top spot in the group. But a match where India were really impressive, albeit a little sloppy at the end, was against Belgium. In some ways, Belgium are a side similar to Netherlands, in that they too like to play fast and press high. In a highly-tactical battle, India held their own after they adopted a direct, aerial ball strategy to which Belgium had no answer. In the last three days, India have used a lot of high balls in their training. They have combined it with crosses from inside the 18-yard circle with strikers looking for deflections from the posts. If this pattern is implemented on field, it once again promises to be an epic clash. Netherlands like to play with a high tempo and are at their best when they are allowed to make short, quick passes. Their players can inter-change positions and formations but still remain as dangerous. An example of this is that at the 2014 World Cup in The Hague, when they reached the final, their talisman Jeroen Hertzberger played in the midfield while Billy Baker, Seve van Ass and Vincent Verga flooded the forward line. In Bhubaneswar, the roles have been reversed - Hertzberger plays as a forward while the other three are in the midfield. Just how effective has the combination been can be guessed from the fact that Netherlands have raided their opponents' 'D' once every two minutes and have scored most number of goals (18). This, when they have been accused of being rusty. Pakistan succeeded in frustrating them by slowing down the pace of the game, but India coach Harendra Singh dismissed that idea. "We will play by our rules," he said on the match eve. If playing by their rules gets India past the finish line, they will be in a World Cup semifinal for the first time since 1975. If that happens, India will celebrate their sojourn as a success. For Holland, reaching the semifinals is a habit. Anything less than gold will be a failed campaign. These are two countries with same tradition and style. But different definitions for success. Dailyhunthttps://www.fanfiction.net/u/11455993/

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