Sun, Oct 10 10 11:17 PM
New Delhi, Oct 10 (PTI) India''s chief coach Jose Brasa today said crowd support at the packed Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here today played a big factor in the home team''s 7-4 win over arch-rivals Pakistan in their must-win match of the men''s hockey event in the Commonwealth Games. Brasa as well as captains of both Indian and Pakistan agreed that crowd support gave India the edge as they demolished Pakistan to sail into the semifinals of the Delhi Games. "It is incredible to play in front of such a crowd. People here understand their hockey. They know when to cheer and shout," Brasa said at the post-match press conference. Indian captain Rajpal Singh seconded his coach and said the massive home crowd that turned up for the match helped their confidence. "The crowd got us going and possibly the Pakistan youngsters got affected by the crowd," Rajpal said. The deafening noise made by the boisterous crowd got louder and louder as India pumped in goals in quick succession, seven in total. Even high profile dignitaries like UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, who were watching the proceedings from one of the spectator enclosures, could not hide their emotion and clapped rapturously for the Rajpal-led home team. Pakistan skipper Zeeshan Ashraf also admitted that the vociferous crowd had put them under tremendous pressure from the onset of the match. "Crowd affected our juniors and India''s early goal put us under pressure," Ashraf said. India now face England in the semifinal on Tuesday and a win there would assure them of at least a silver medal. "Our semifinal is against a tough team, England. We will have to play with full concentration to overcome them," Rajpal said.
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