Tokyo Olympics: 3 takeaways from India's 3-0 win against Spain
The Indians registered a fluent 3-0 win over Spain in their third group match of the at the Tokyo Olympics.
Graham Reid's team looked confident and composed right from the outset despite having suffered a disheartening 1-7 drubbing at the hands of the Australians in their last encounter. The Indians maintained their shape on the field admirably for the entire sixty minutes.
Rupinder Pal Singh managed to direct his famed drag-flicks on target while the Indian strikers finally managed to find their rhythm for a bit which helped Simranjeet Singh score one from open play.
The Indian defenders did well to ward off an unrelenting spell of pressure exerted by the Spaniards in the final quarter, although it must be said that the three-goal advantage did help their cause.
#3 Sreejesh PR displays his grit, yet again
Following India's traumatic loss against the Australians, social media was flooded with debates and discussions that focussed on the role of India's veteran goalkeeper and whether or not he would be in a state to guard the citadel against Spain after having conceded seven goals.
Images of a distraught Sreejesh, apparently in pain, also drove speculation about a possible injury - and, if replacing him for one game might be a good idea considering that the confidence of even the best goalkeepers could be shaken after letting in more than half a dozen goals.
The body language of the man who is arguably the face of Indian hockey said it all as he barked out the instructions to his defenders, radiating a sense of conviction and dependability that comes only with immense experience.
On the pitch, Sreejesh was called into action early and displayed no signs of injury or any lack of confidence whatsoever as he stretched, dived, swayed and used every bit of his goalkeeping paraphernalia to good effect against the likes of David Allegre and Xavi Lleonart.
Sreejesh's composure augurs well for India, who still have a couple of vital group matches lined up.
#2 Strikers shine in patches, but are yet to come to the party
A hard strike from Simranjeet, with Dilpreet Singh diving ahead to get a touch on the ball as it travelled towards goal, was a welcome sight for all Indian hockey fans, especially since the strikers have yet to contribute significantly towards the Tokyo 2020 campaign.
Dilpreet's deft touch, which got the Indians their lone goal against the Aussies was never in focus thanks to the humiliating defeat that followed in a match where the Indian strikers failed to make an impact.
The Indians have managed to score just two field goals in the competition thus far, which is just as concerning as the strikers not being able to direct enough shots on target.
It's one thing to convert penalty corners when the scores are level or when the team is leading, but it's quite another to convert them under pressure. The latter scenario, which was brought forth during the Australian game, saw Indians waste quite a few short corners with one being stopped on the line.
Excessive dependence on PC batteries may well be detrimental to India's cause as the tournament progresses, with rival coaches measuring up the moves of the short corner specialists which may render them ineffective during matches and situations that really count.
India's young forwards need to come to the party soon to instill confidence in the unit's goalscoring abilities well before the knockout stage.
#1 What ails the Indians - heat or back-to-back matches?
A team that is quite adept at playing in hot and humid conditions - like Odisha - should ideally feel at home when taking the field in places that have similar climatic conditions.
Yet the Indians, for some reason, seem to struggle under the hot sun as was evident during the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018.
While Manpreet and co. were at their best against Spain as the temperature dropped to 25 degrees Celsius they appeared to struggle a bit against New Zealand when the mercury soared.
The game against Australia was scheduled for the evening hours and yet the Men in Blue looked jaded as they failed to keep pace with the speedy Australians who had themselves played a tough match against Japan the previous day.
The Indians are faster and fitter than ever before and have a reputation for being one of the fittest sides in world hockey and yet appear to be uncomfortable with testing schedules when the going gets tough.
As the competition gets more grueling, Graham Reid's boys will need to adapt to the conditions fast as there will be scant room for error when the knockouts begin.