India vs. Japan
No grumbling was heard in the team, and no fault-finding could be detected.
A big improvement in taking short corners was apparent. From five short-corners and one long corner, three were converted into goals.
By Olympic Gold Medallist M. N. Masood
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India vs. Japan | India gave a much improved display
of scientific hockey. Dhyan got back some of his lost form, and at times
was a wizard with the stick.
No grumbling was heard in the team, and no fault-finding could be detected. A big improvement in taking short corners was apparent. From five short-corners and one long corner, three were converted into goals. |
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India 9 – Japan 0
India played her third international game against Japan on 10th August at 4:30 pm in the Hockey Stadium. As most of the field and track events had finished by now in the Olympic Stadium, a bigger crowd than had hitherto been seen in hockey, watched the India-Japan match.
The ground was dry and evenly rolled, and the weather was warm and bright, such as we get in India in November. The Japanese, wonderful imitators that they are, played the game after our own style, but it will take them a few years more to bring the necessary technique in the game and be a serious rival to India's supremacy.
Their short, light stature, strong wrists and good eye for the ball will certainly rate them in very near future as one of the best of hockey playing countries of the world. And they are fleet-footed too. But they may never produce dribblers like Roop Singh and Dhyan Chand as their wrists are not so supple as ours.
India won 9-0. Be it said to the credit of Japan that it took twenty minutes for the world's champions to score the first goal. The exchanges were even till then.
India gave a much improved display of scientific hockey. Dhyan brought back some of his lost form, and at times was a wizard with the stick.
No grumbling was heard in the team and no fault-finding with one another's play could be detected. A big improvement in taking short corners was apparent. From five short-corners and one long corner, three were converted into goals.
Peter scored the first goal from a melee in front of the goal mouth off a short corner hit by Tapsell. This goal spurred the Japanese to a still faster play, but two quick goals off two consecutive short corners taken by Tapsell shook the confidence of the Japanese, and from thence they played like a beaten side.
These two goals were the result of fast, beautiful, solo runs by Shahabuddin and Peter. Tapsell put the finishing touch to the first solo run by Shahabuddin, while another run down the field by Peter and a 'cross' pass gave Dhyan an easy goa1. At the interval, India was leading 4-0.
After resumption, India quickened her pace and the Japanese had to fall back to save themselves from a bigger defeat. Peter was brilliant at this stage, and Dhyan was putting some of his wizardry in his passes and dribbling.
Peter gave a hard shot at Japan's goal after a solo run, and from the rebound off the goalkeeper's pads, scored his second goal of the match.
Dhyan scored the next three goals in quick succession after masterly dribbling off passes from Cullen, Roop and Jaffar respectively. Roop's selfishness was the cause of his poor display and could give him an only goal scored in the last second of the game off a pass from Dhyan, which left the goalkeeper alone to beat.
The Indian team was as follows: Allen; Tapsell and Mohammad Hussain; Nimal, Cullen and Gallibardy; Shahabuddin, Jaffar, Dhyan Chand, Roop Singh and Peter Fernandes.
The Oriental Club, Berlin
After the match, we were invited by the Oriental Club Berlin to a light supper, which was served to us in one room. The hosts and some other guests, on account of lack of accommodation in the room, divided themselves in three more rooms.
Manager Jagannath with our attache, Captain Fanelsa