Cheetahs have holes to plug

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Chennai Cheetahs failed to meet the expectations of their fans against Mumbai Marines in the Bridgestone World Series Hockey on Tuesday.

After a diabolical performance in all departments, the Cheetahs crashed to a 2-4 defeat. Midway through the match, it became evident that the Marines were the real deal. The visitors deservedly went home with three points.

Nothing went right for the home team at the MRK Stadium, which had been spruced for the World Series Hockey. The Cheetahs raised visions of notching up their third win on the trot when penalty corner specialist Imran Warsi struck in the second minute.

But it was all downhill for the Cheetahs from that point. They were overrun in midfield, their forwards lacked sharpness and defenders were nervous. The only player to come out with his reputation intact was young goalkeeper Jasbir Singh.

In their previous matches, Cheetahs’ midfield was rock-solid. But against the Marines even the ever-reliable Brent Livermore, the Cheetahs’ captain, was found wanting.

There was no cohesion between midfield and the forward line. The absence of Vikram Pillay, who is nursing an injury, robbed Chennai of a seasoned customer. Coach Jose Brasa said Vikram was sorely missed. But in a league with a cramped schedule, bench strength is critical.

Another problem for the Cheetahs’ is their over-reliance on Warsi, who is leading the scoring charts with eight goals from four matches. The ace Pakistani drag-flicker wasn’t in his element on Tuesday as he found the target only once of five PCs.

As Brasa said later, even world-class players have their off days. Marines goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza hit the nail on the head when he was asked about his preparations to counter Warsi. “The best way to prevent Warsi from scoring is not to concede penalty corners,” he quipped. So smarter teams will make sure that PCs aren’t given away cheaply.

It is also imperative that the Indian players in the Cheetahs’ ranks must raise their game. V. Raja had a great chance to endear himself to the fans on Tuesday when he got two gilt-edged opportunities. But the Chennai-based player squandered both of them. If the Cheetahs have to reach the semifinals, contributions have to come from all quarters.