Sreejesh the hero as fire-fighting Indian hockey team reaches Olympic semi-final despite playing with a man down

The great Indian dream of another Olympic medal is alive and kicking

It doesn’t matter how you win as long as you win. India’s men’s hockey team were pounded relentlessly by Great Britain, had a player red-carded and played with 10 for more than 40 minutes and defended with their back to the wall for almost the entire 60 minutes. Still, they showed resilience and nerves of steel to pull off a win in the tie-breaker.

After regulation time ended at 1-1, the Indians converted all of their first four shots, while Great Britain missed two out of four. The shootout ended even before going to the fifth and last shot, with India prevailing 4-2. In the semi-finals for the second consecutive time, India now have a great chance to add to the bronze medal clinched in Tokyo in 2021. They have two shots at a medal now, starting with a match against either Germany or Argentina.

Many of India’s most notable performances in the recent past have come riding on the special skills of goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and Harmanpreet Singh. The two were at the forefront again in this quarter-final encounter in Paris. Harmanpreet scored for the seventh time in the competition and gave India the lead in the 21st minute from a penalty-corner. It didn’t last long as Great Britain equalised before the second quarter ended.

A red card shown to Amit Rohidas in the 18th minute for a high-stick offence meant India had to play the rest of the match with 10 players. It compounded the pressure on them. As it is, Great Britain were always in the ascendancy and Rohidas had been instrumental in foiling their forays. His absence and the numerical disadvantage meant advantage Great Britain.

They kept India under a leash for a major part of the match and virtually the entire match was played in front of the Indian ‘D’. The 1988 Olympic champions, still searching for their first medal since, battered the Indians into submission as far as possession and attempts on goal were concerned. They kept the ball and the Indians could hardly penetrate into the rival half.

But, hockey, or any team game for that matter, is also about how react to pressure. The Indians showed great defensive organisation and discipline at the back to absorb what was thrown at them. They didn’t panic and kept defending with their backs to the wall. Sreejesh was a tower of assurance and the defenders dished out an inspired performance as well.

Having reached the semi-finals after overcoming this amount of pressure and having beaten Australia in the group stage earlier, this Indian team will believe they can do anything and fight against every rival. The great Indian dream of another Olympic medal is alive and kicking.

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