India,s Performance in 2010 Hockey world cup

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It is tempting to use the worn out saying, so near yet so far. This perhaps underscores the sentiments after the loss to England. A semi-final berth was only a dream after the pounding against Australia. But it persisted till the fourth counter. Coach Brasa's estimate of a fifth place sounds realistic. Whether this can be accomplished is open to debate. India readies to come to grips with South Africa on Monday in the last Pool 'B' match of the Hero Honda hockey World cup. Competitive hockey is not about how well you play but how tactically you play for a decisive result. On Saturday, there were spells when the Indians had the crowd spellbound.The pace, precision and finese touched the emotional chords. But the end game for all the nerve wracking moments, was defeat. India in a similar fashion lost to Spain and Australia by 2:5 goals in both the matches and thereby ending its hopes of entering into the semifinals. Although India had a great opening by defeating the arch rivals Pakistan by 4:1. India with their good win has raised hopes of performing better than expectations but the injuries played a bigger role. Now India will play only for pride and position in the Group - A last patch against the south African's on monday.