India’s loss to Belgium in the semi-finals of men’s hockey does not take away from the young Indian side’s dogged performance so far, writes sports journalist Harpal Singh Bedi.
Indian hopes for an Olympic gold in men’s hockey after 41 years were snuffed out by Belgium’s emphatic 5-2 win on Tuesday. But India still has a shot at a bronze medal. They will play the losers of the second semi-final – between Australia and Germany – for third place.
This was Belgium’s third win over India in as many Olympics. They also beat India in 2012 in London and overpowered them in the quarter-finals in 2016 in Rio.
Chief coach Graham Reid made drastic changes while picking the team for Tokyo. It had 10 new faces and the forward line had a new look with Dilpreet Singh, Hardik Singh and Shamsher Singh entrusted to lead the charge.
But India’s opening match was not impressive. They huffed and puffed to overcome New Zealand 3-2. India conceded 10 penalty corners while earning five in the opener, raising concern about the defence.
Australia dismantled India 7-1 in the second match – again, the winners earned six penalty corners compared to India’s five. But after that drubbing, a young Indian side regrouped superbly.
They displayed great resilience in their next three matches – scoring emphatic victories over Spain and defending world champion Argentina, and overcoming Japan 5-3 in the last league match.
India took time to settle down in the quarter-final against a lacklustre Great Britain before eventually scoring a 3-1 win.
The match will be remembered for a stunning goal from Hardik Singh in the last moments, but it came after some nail-biting moments.
The defence conceded eight penalty corners and if it wasn’t for veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who pulled off some great saves, the result could have been different.
The string of wins impressed India’s critics and left their supporters overjoyed.
But defence once again proved to be the team’s undoing in the semi-final against Belgium.
India knew Belgium’s strength was their ability to convert penalty corners into goals, and yet they conceded as many as 14 and only earned five. The margin of defeat would have been wider if not for Sreejesh.
Overall, India has converted only eight penalty corners in seven matches while Belgium’s Alexander Hendrickx’s has so far scored 12 goals off penalty corners and two more from penalty strokes.
The takeaway for the Indian men’s team has been the impressive showing by forwards. Speedy winger Mandeep Singh has kept the left flank active and last-minute inclusion Simranjeet Singh has added sharpness to the attack.
Dilpreet Singh, who netted two goals, has been fluent but his finishing was found wanting on occasion. Shamsher Singh, Lalit Upadhyay and Gurjant Singh were also good, but in patches.
The mid-field, led by captain Manpreet Singh, included Neelkanta Sharma, Hardik Singh, Sumit and Vivek Prasad, was efficient.
Defence, however, was not up to the mark, although experienced players such as Rupinder Pal and Harmanpreet Singh, India’s top scorer with five goals, gave their best.
But the true standout performance came from versatile Sreejesh – India would have found it difficult to progress beyond the group stage without him.
Overall, India’s showing in Tokyo has been encouraging – a bright spot after decades. The men’s team has won eight Olympic gold medals, making it the most successful team ever, but the last gold was won in 1980 in Moscow.
“We have legacy, we have heroes but we need to sell the game on professional lines,” said former captain Ajit Pal Singh, who led India to its only Hockey World cup victory in 1975.
“The showing in this Olympics has been very encouraging. People are interested and Indian Hockey Federation needs to capitalise on these sentiments,” he added.
Mr Singh said Indian hockey was neglected for a long time as support for cricket, India’s most popular and profitable sport, soared.
But the 2008 Olympics, when India failed to even qualify, were a wake-up call. The federation took crucial decisions, from hiring foreign coaches to injecting more money, and that may be finally paying off.
The Indian women’s hockey team too has made history by making it to the semi-finals for the first time.
“There is a sense of self-belief among the youngsters. They don’t concede goals in the dying minutes. They fight back even if they are trailing. They don’t give up easily,” Mr Singh said, adding that this is a discernible change in Indian hockey in recent years.
And it’s a change that many hope to see for a long time.
“Indians are playing better with confidence and the fresh legs are producing results” said former India captain, Zafar Iqbal.
If India is to win the match for the third slot on Thursday, they need to regroup immediately. It’s not going to be easy, but the side’s dogged performance is a reason for optimism.
Harpal Singh Bedi is a veteran sports journalist and former sports editor of UNI news agency.