"We are here to win gold" - Hardik Singh voices the hockey team's ambitions at Paris Olympics
Sunday was a day of nailbiters at the Paris Olympics. Several marquee matches went down to the wire and kept the audience hooked until the very last second. The gold medal in both Men's Archery and Women's Skeet (shooting) were decided by shoot-offs. Both sets of the men's tennis single's final were decided by tie breakers. But the one which made the hearts of the Indian supporters skip a beat was the men's hockey quarterfinals against Great Britain.
India were behind the 8-ball early. Third minute into the second quarter, Amit Rohidas was given a red card. This meant that India could play with only ten men for the rest of the match.
But despite being a man short, India put on a remarkable display of defense and were able to take the match into a shoot-out with the scores tied 1-1 at full time.
Talking to All India Radio (Akashvani) after the match, Hardik Singh sounded charged up, almost embodying the vigor his team had displayed on the field.
"Unbelievable! I can’t think of a team that got a red card at the start and won (like this). We did it." he said.
India won the shootout 4-2 and registered a place in the semifinals. Another victory for India would gaurantee a podium finish. However, Hardik Singh proclaims that the team is aiming for more.
"We have a long way to go. We have two more matches. We are here to win gold" said Hardik.
The star of the match was goalkeeper PR Sreejesh. Great Britain made 24 attacking circle penetrations and took a total of 21 shots at the goal, including 10 penalty corners. But Sreejesh stood like a wall, delineating solid technique and impeccable determination.
However, as the match moved into a shoot-out, the team needed a bit more from Sreejesh, and he delivered.
"(I)Trusted him more than life," said Hardik "We have been playing together, training together since long. We share dressing rooms, live together at hostels. With that, our trust in him grows even stronger. I think Sree bhai is a legend. He would always be one of the best goalkeepers in the whole hockey history."
India to face Germany in the Semi-finals
India's men's hockey team would now face Germany in the semifinals at the Paris Olympics. The two teams met in the bronze medal match at the Tokyo Olympics which India won 5-4.
Since Tokyo, the two teams have faced off six times, with most matches being high scoring affairs. India have won 5 of those six matches. Though, in their last meeting - a couple of months ago - Germany took the game 3-2.
At the Paris Olympics, Germany has thus far registered impressive victories over Netherlands, Great Britain, South Africa and France. On Sunday, they defeated Argentina by 3-2 in the quarterfinals to set up the rendezvous with India.
The semifinal will be played on August 6 at 10:30pm IST.