K ARUMUGAM

Parattu Raveendran Sreejesh will not be alone. His last dance has millions of compatriots as company. The icon, legend and brave heart celebrated his swansong with another exemplary goalkeeping performance to help India win back-to-back men’s hockey bronze medal after a fighting 2-1 win over Spain in the 2024 Paris Olympics at the Stade Yves-du-Manoir on Thursday.

Spain shot into the lead as India appeared sluggish at the outset – a condition rendered by a gut-wrenching defeat to Germany in the semi-final on Tuesday.

But India’s keynote in this campaign was to pick up something from games they’ve struggled in. Add that to a resolve to end the campaign memorably for Sreejesh and a come-from-behind victory was in the making.

It was engineered by captain Harmanpreet Singh who brandished his lethal weapon, the drag flick. Two howitzers flowed from his blade to script victory, take his tally to 10 goals in the tournament, and consolidate his position at the top of the scorers’ list.

India weathered the storm after taking the lead and it brought Sreejesh into the frame once again. The legend, it appeared, would have to prove himself again, even after doing so time and again in his 18-year international career. That’s the lot of a star goalkeeper who can’t rest on laurels.

Even the last seconds brought anxiety – so akin to the bronze medal win against Germany at Tokyo 2020. But the line, with Sreejesh at the helm, held firm.

The hooter came a music to Indian ears. But the fancy steps would have to wait. The 36-year-old goalkeeper from Kerala with little or no hockey culture went flat out, belly down, on the blue turf drawing his adoring teammates who fell over him in ecstasy.

As the Spanish wept, so did the Indian players with contrasting emotions.

Harmanpreet, as much a protagonist as Sreejesh, carried his goalkeeper on his shoulder in a lap of honour. Inevitably, The Wall, Sreejesh’s sobriquet, perched himself on the crosspiece of the goal – repeating his Tokyo celebration that was flashed across the media.

Despite emerging from a gutted dugout, Spain’s Argentine coach Max Caldas greeted every Indian player and waited moments to embrace Sreejesh in a supremely sporting scene.

At Tokyo, India broke a medal drought of 41 years with a bronze medal. A second successive third-place finish emulated the 1968 and 1972 Olympic campaigns. One silver medal, won in 1960, also lies in the Indian cabinet making it a total of 13.

After the disappointment of losing to Germany 2-3 on Tuesday, the colour of the medal didn’t appear to matter.

The team appeared focused on Sreejesh and resolved to give him a befitting send-off. “We did it for him,” said midfielder and former captain Manpreet. “We were determined to return with something.”

Captain Harmanpreet said the bronze medal was “big for the country”. The mild-spoken bulwark of a defender and drag-flicker par excellence was apologetic for not winning gold but was happy with back-to-back bronze medals. “Both medals are of equal value to me,” he said.

Harmanpreet reflected on the ordeal of containing Spain who used an extra outfield player after their goalkeeper was pulled out. He also regretted the paucity of chances his team created but was generous in praise for his team’s PC defence.

He didn’t forget Sreejesh. “We have dedicated the medal to Sreejesh and his journey with the Indian team,” the captain said.

Nick-named “Sarpanch”(village head), Harmanpreet made an impassioned plea for Indian sports lovers to continue supporting hockey.

The man himself, Sreejesh, was, for all the passion, calm and composed. “The Tokyo bronze medal was special because it gave us hope and confidence,” he said.

Coach Craig Fulton, the South African guiding India, was convinced that Sreejesh had a lot more in the tank and could continue playing but respected the goalkeeper’s decision to retire.

Fulton expressed gratitude to the entire staff involved in the process. “Even the three reserve players who didn’t play are part of this moment. The entire group of 40 players too. It’s a tough selection process to reduce that group to 19 and then to 16,” he added.“But the bigger the team, the bigger the dream,” he said.

Ranked fifth in the world, India, eight-time gold medallists, knew it would be an uphill task against eighth-ranked Spain, three-time silver medallists.

Sukhjeet Singh missed an opportunity to give India an early lead, shooting wide when ideally placed but India failed to build on the momentum and struggled to find rhythm in the remainder of a cagey first quarter.

Spain took the lead in the 18th minute through a penalty stroke put away spectacularly by Captain Marc Miralles after Manpreet Singh illegally checked Gerard Clapes when in a scoring position. Miralles shot powerfully to the top right corner of Sreejesh’s goal to provide the Spaniards a spring in the step.

The return of defender Amit Rohidas from a match suspension proved the first rusher’s worth at the penalty corner and two awards to Spain (seven in the match) came to zilch.

India, not for the first time in the campaign, were behind but seemed to wilt in the wake of Spanish attacks and were lucky not to go two-down when Clapes crossed from the left edge of the circle but the ball eluded Boorja Lacalle near the far post.

India relied on the aerial ball, part of their armoury, to ease pressure exerted by the Red Sticks.

With half-time approaching, India forced two penalty corners. Harmanpreet loomed large at the D-top but the Spanish defensive battery warded off the threat.

With 14 seconds left for the hooter, India forced their second PC and Harmanpreet brought up his ninth goal with a lethal drag flick that gave goalkeeper Luis Calzado and the left post-man no chance.

That was the defining moment in the match. An equalizer just before the interval knocks the stuffing out of the opponents. For India it did more. It shifted the momentum.

India did well to take the resultant energy into the second half and within minutes forced their third PC.

Over to Harmanpreet. Captain Courageous stood up and delivered his goal No. 10, consolidating pole position in the scorers’ chart with a grounder to Calzado’s right in the 33rd minute.

Spain have blown hot and cold in this tournament. After a 0-4 drubbing by The Netherlands in the semi-finals, they came out to play their hearts out. A Spanish PC followed within the minute but Rohidas ensured India preserved the slender lead.

Defending the advantage, to India’s credit, wasn’t top priority. Enhancing it was and their relentless pressure yielded PC No. 4 as the Spanish defence wilted.

A green card to Abhishek, a sacrifice to prevent a quick Spanish counterattack, didn’t seem to stifle India and a fifth PC followed but to no avail.

An umpires’ referral disallowed a Spanish goal from their third PC to the unbridled joy among Indian fans in the stands but groans of agony followed soon later when Calzado prevented Harmanpreet from swelling the lead from India’s sixth PC.

Like the bronze India won at Tokyo 2020 with a heart-stopping 5-4 win over Germany, this one too wasn’t destined to come easy.

Spain, who have three Olympic silver medals in their cabinet, were looking for their second bronze. The contest assumed the hue of the 1980 Moscow final between the two nations which India won 4-3 but not before Spain camped deep in their territory and looked firm favourites had the match gone into extra-time.

The impressive Clapes was in the frame of almost all their forays. With Coach Caldas prompting his charges from the dugout, the Red Sticks began controlling play by circulating the ball around the Indian 23m.

India were pinned back in defence and seemed to profit from the 10-man epic performance in the quarterfinal against Great Britain, as well as Fulton’s tactical development ever since he took over the reins of the job.

A frustrated Spain then withdrew Calzado for an outfield player with three minutes to go.

It bore fruit, but only in terms of penalty corners No. 5, 6 and 7 as play turned frenetic.

Sreejesh padded from the sixth. The save sent the ball high, but high enough to avoid danger and the subsequent referral favoured India.

But like Tokyo, the last minute brought untold anxiety. Harmanpreet’s cynical challenge drew an umpire’s referral with the possibility of a penalty stroke to Spain.

To the great relief of Indian fans in the stadium and millions more around the globe, it remained a PC that proved abortive.

It still wasn’t over and a quick switch from deep inside Spanish territory saw India grimly defending on top of their circle, conceding a free hit two seconds from the hooter. Spanish appeals for a PC were turned down and India heaved relief and celebrated in one breath.