Assured of a quarterfinal berth, India will goal for consistency after they tackle reigning champions Belgium of their powerful penultimate Pool B match of the Olympic Video games in Paris on Thursday. The Purple Lions are main Pool B with three wins from as many matches, whereas the Indians are a rung under within the second place with two wins and a draw. Mighty Australia are positioned third with seven factors from two wins and a loss. Argentina have additionally certified for the quarterfinals with 4 factors from three video games, which features a win, a draw and a loss.
New Zealand and Eire are out of the race after struggling three consecutive losses. Solely the highest 4 could make the last-eight stage reduce.
The Indians began their marketing campaign on a shaky notice with a detailed 3-2 win over New Zealand after which scored a last-minute aim to salvage a draw in opposition to former champions Argentina.
However in opposition to Eire, it was a very totally different efficiency from the Indians, no less than within the first two quarters. They dominated the possession with one-touch play to attain two targets within the first quarter which proved important in the long run.
India skipper Harmanpreet Singh as soon as once more rose to the event, first changing a penalty stroke after which discovering the web from a set piece within the second quarter handy his aspect the win.
The Indian mid-field, led by veteran and four-time Olympian Manpreet Singh and vice-captain Hardik Singh, additionally introduced their A sport to the desk, creating a number of possibilities for the forward-line.
The likes of Mandeep Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh and Sukhjeet Singh sparkled upfront by conserving the strain on the opposition defence.
In opposition to Eire on Tuesday, India opted for one-to-one brief passes to construct their assaults, as an alternative of going for aerial balls.
Proper-back Jarmanpreet Singh has been a revelation within the match up to now and was omnipresent, be it in defence or creating possibilities from flanks.
One other participant who deserves credit score is Amit Rohidas, who produced a rock stable efficiency on the again. He defended the penalty corners brilliantly being the primary rusher and from one-on-one conditions.
However it’s India’s wall, goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who resides as much as his popularity in his Olympic swansong. He made a number of good saves in opposition to Eire within the final two quarters handy his aspect the win.
After Belgium, India will finish their pool engagements in opposition to nemesis Australia on Friday.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
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