Five Things We Learnt From India's Performance Against Ireland
India scraped past much lower-ranked Ireland 3-2 in the opening match of the Rio Olympics thanks to goals from penalty corner experts Rupinder Pal Singh (2) and VR Raghunath (1). Indian team kept their fans nervous till the end as they conceded goals in the final 5 minutes of the game to invite pressure on themselves. Despite the win, the Indian hockey team has a lot to learn and improve before they face tough opposition like Germany and Netherlands. Here are five things we learnt from India’s performance against Ireland
Sardar Singh is GOAT
Before the start of the tournament, there was huge pressure on Sardar Singh - losing his captaincy to Sreejesh and problems in his personal life. Add to that, he was made to play in the forward line instead of his usual midfield and many expected him to succumb to the pressure put on him added by the media attention. But, Sardar stayed true to his name causing havoc to the Irish defence along with playing as a leader on the outfield.
Sardar Singh was instrumental in earning a penalty corner for India which led to the second goal but as the game progressed and Ireland’s increasing pressure on the Indian defence, Sardar moved back into the role of central midfield and controlled the tempo in the dying minutes of the game to guide the Indian team to a first round victory.
In the other proceedings of the game, it was Sardar Singh all over, with his name being the only ones uttered by the commentators. He was active on both the flanks and creating goal scoring opportunities for Indian team. Sardar Singh once again proved why he is considered as one of the best Indian players of recent times.