Paris 2024 Olympics Hockey: 3 milestones that will be reached if India wins their semifinal against Germany
The Indian team will take on Germany in the semifinal of the men's hockey competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics on August 6.
With a couple of morale-boosting back-to-back victories against Australia and Great Britain, the Men in Blue will be keen to carry the winning momentum into the big game against the four-time Olympic champions.
Displaying their steely resolve against Great Britain in the quarterfinals after being down to 10 men following an 18th-minute red card shown to Amit Rohidas, the Indian team crafted a memorable win in the shootout.
History beckons for the Indian men's team in the crucial semifinal encounter as the Harmanpreet Singh-led side hopes to achieve what their predecessors could not over the last four decades.
Let's take a look at three milestones that the Indian men's hockey team will reach if they do manage to get past a strong German side in the semifinal.
#3 Longest-ever gap between Olympic finals for any team in men's hockey
Great Britain and independent India faced off in the finals of the men's hockey competition in 1948 with the Indians having won gold at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1932 and the Berlin Olympics in 1936.
While the Indians went on to feature in four back-to-back finals from 1952 to 1964, Great Britain did not make it to another Olympic final until the Seoul Games in 1988. After a 40-year wait to reach the finals, Great Britain defeated West Germany to win gold in Seoul.
Meanwhile, the Indians failed to maintain their dominance on the world stage after the 1964 Tokyo Olympics while failing to qualify for the finals until 1980.
After the Vasudevan Baskaran-led Indian side won gold at Moscow in 1980, the eight-time champions did not make it to an Olympic semifinal until Tokyo 2021.
The Indians could not advance to the finals in Tokyo after Graham Raid's team lost to Belgium in the semifinal. Craig Fulton's side have a chance to make it to an Olympic final after a record 44-year wait.
#2 Record-extending 10th final at the Olympics for the Indian men's hockey team
No team in the men's hockey competition at the Olympics has come within striking distance of the eight gold medals that the Indians have bagged thus far. Additionally, no side has also featured in as many finals as the Indians have in men's hockey at the Olympics.
The Germans have made it to the finals seven times while Pakistan have done so on six occasions. Pakistan last made it to the finals back in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics where the Men in Green bagged the gold medal.
More recently, the Germans made it to back-to-back finals in 2008 and 2012 while also featuring in the gold-medal matches in 1936, 1972, 1984, 1988 (as West Germany) and in 1992.
The Indians have played the Olympic men's hockey final nine times, winning on eight occasions and the only defeat coming against arch-rivals Pakistan who won their first-ever gold in 1960.
A record-extending 10th final is now on the cards if the Indians emerge victorious in Tuesday's semifinal.
#1 India will maintain head-to-head supremacy against Germany at the Olympics in case of a win
Despite India's record medal haul, the former champions do not have encouraging head-to-head numbers against teams like Australia and Pakistan at the Olympics.
Pakistan, who failed to qualify for Paris 2024 have squared off with India seven times at the Olympic Games. The Men in Green have won four games and lost two with one contest between the hockey greats ending in a draw.
The Australians have played India a total of 12 times at the Olympics winning six of those matches and losing four. The Indians defeated Australia 3-2 for the first time in 52 years during a pool match of the ongoing Paris Games.
The Indians, however, have the edge against Germany at the Olympics having won five of the 12 matches while the Germans have won four. India's most recent win against Germany at an Olympic men's hockey competition was during the Tokyo Games where the Indians beat Germany 5-4 in the bronze-medal game.
A win against Germany in Paris will help the Indians maintain their supremacy over the European side with regard to Olympic numbers.
The Indians are a couple of matches away from the coveted prize in world hockey with a ninth Olympic gold medal now in sight.