28 September 2004	Tuesday	12 Shaban 1425

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QUETTA, Sept 27: India hockey coach Gerhard Rach on Monday expressed surprise over his side's victory in the second match of eight-match series, saying Pakistanis paid heavily for taking the opposition too lightly.

"I think Pakistan did not avail the opportunities, while we capitalized on the chances we got. But I was not expecting such a victory. I don't know why Pakistanis did not take us seriously. Their body language showed they were not keen and motivated," Rach told reporters after the match.

Rach said while the win by such a huge margin was unexpected, the cohesion and well-organized moves by his forwards were too impressive, which he was not anticipating. "I had a bad stomach last night and was watching the recording of the first game in Karachi on TV. I was very angry when I saw what mistakes we committed. The first thing in the morning I called up a meeting and told the players about the blunders.

"I think that pep talk and planning in the morning helped us a lot and the result is better performance by the forwards today. We are looking for even better results in Peshawar game on Wednesday," he added.

Pakistan captain Waseem Ahmad did not have much to say as he admitted it was a better show put up by the Indians that gave them the deserved win. "There is no particular reason for the defeat. The thing is that Indians played well and they won the game. We will be preparing for the third match in Peshawar after rectifying our mistakes," he said.

About the two crucial penalty corner opportunities that Pakistan squandered in the dying moments of the game, Waseem said the pitch was bumpy at one end. Dilawar Hussain, who failed to stop the ball for Sohail Abbas during the two penalty corners also blamed the surface, saying uneven pitch caused the problem.

Interestingly, Indian penalty corner specialist Sandeep Singh scored the two goals at the same end to help his side achieve the triumph, while Rach said the poly grass was perfect.

"In Karachi the pitch was indeed bumpy but here this one is fine," the Indian coach opined. The two sides are scheduled to travel to Peshawar in the morning for the third game of the series on Wednesday.