With just about half a minute left for the hooter, England’s Tessa Howard fired a shot of strange menace and intent towards the top-right corner of the Indian goal — on the turn, and from the edge of the D.Hearts stopped for that moment, and some, as the ball flew as if in slow motion towards the Indian goal. Actually, it was whizzing in at the speed of light, a silent scream that would quell all the support the stands had drummed up, and all the hope that India had harboured.Up until then — for 59 minutes and 30 seconds — India had defended with everything they had. They had kept England — needing a win to make it to the next round of the World Cup at Amstelveen’s Wagener Stadium — from finding the back of the net. But for that split second, it seemed England had done it.Almost out of nowhere, Bichu Devi Kharibam dived to her left and magnificently kept out the ball with her walrus-sized paws to deny England a terrific — and certain — goal. The goalkeeper from Manipur, who had dreamt of playing football as a child, had made one of the biggest saves of her career, and for Indian women’s hockey.You could actually see the England players physically deflate. Devastated, all they could do was helplessly watch the clock run out as the match ended in a goalless draw.It was all India needed to make it to the next round, and the entire team achieved it by playing out a draw that was high on stress for most of the hour as it was on defensive organisation.“We fought for everything. We were really good as a team, especially in defence!” captain Salima Tete, who was sensational with her rushing during the many penalty corners that England won, was understandably ecstatic afterwards.England had 11 penalty corners, 20 shots on goal, 19 circle entries and 52.4% possession. Despite their domination, India prevailed, thanks to their calm and disciplined approach.They did give the ball away cheaply in the middle, but they held their ground when it mattered most. The seniors, especially Nikki Pradhan, Navneet Kaur, Neha Goyal and Sushila Chanu, not only did well individually but also marshalled the team effectively.“England are good, but we just decided that until the last second, we would not stop. We kept fighting and kept going,” said the captain. “England are good at attacking penalty corners, but we defended well. So, credit to our defence.”With achieving the stalemate that they had planned for, India got the one point they needed and made it out of Pool D in second place with five points from four matches. China, who beat South Africa 5-1 earlier in the day, finished on top with seven points. Both will now enter Pool E along with the top two teams from Pool A — Netherlands and Australia.India will next face hosts Netherlands on Friday. It poses a hugely difficult challenge, and India will have to convert their chances — something they just couldn’t do against England.At half-time, India had won four penalty corners but couldn’t convert any, a point that will worry coach Sjoerd Marijne ahead of the encounter against the world No. 1 side.Speaking at half-time, he had said: “We get enough penalty corners, but we have to be more precise with the injection. If we do that better, I think we can score some goals.”Credit should also go to England goalkeeper Miriam Pritchard, who made some breathtaking saves to keep India at bay. In the end, England pulled her out to play an extra outfield player, but India held on.India, though, don’t have much time to celebrate. They will have to regroup quickly and prepare for one of the most difficult tasks in world hockey — facing Netherlands, the reigning world and Olympic champions, and that too in front of the Dutch fans.
