S2H Team

You really didn’t need to pinch yourself to confirm it wasn’t a dream. That’s if you’ve been following the Indian women’s hockey team’s progress at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. All the same, the women in blue pulled off the near-impossible when they beat a formidable team in green-and-gold at the Oi Stadium on Monday.

Gurjit Kaur’s penalty corner goal in the 22nd minute to eke out a 1-0 win over Australia rewrote the history books, taking India into the semi-finals of the Olympics for the first time ever. If the sturdy defender’s act made the difference in the scoreline, it was bolstered by heroic performances by the personnel besides her – defender Deep Grace Ekka and goalkeeper Savita Punia and supported by resolve and energy in the searing heat by the team as a fighting unit.

The Hockeyroos had topped their pool. India, fourth in theirs, made it to the quarterfinals with a galvanized effort after losing their first three matches.

The Aussies had conceded just one goal in the tournament before the match and hadn’t conceded one for nearly four-and-a-half matches. India had let in 14. The girls from Down Under are ranked No.2, India No.9.

The Australians are three-time gold medallists. India were playing in only their third Olympics.

The pre-match disparity doesn’t end there. The teams met at the last Games in Rio in 2016. The scoreboard read Australia 6, India 1.

But this was a quarterfinal and the new India had tenacity and fitness not seen hitherto. They also had the sort of mental toughness seldom associated with the women’s teams of the land.

They converged all these attitudes along with natural skills to not only survive all that the Hockeyroos threw at them but even shake their citadel firmly.

Indian team in action at Tokyo Olympics

Australia did the early running and Ambrosia Malone hit the upright in the second minute. It looked to deflate them a bit and India took over.

Iconic captain Rani Rampal struck the post in the ninth minute after hat-trick girl against South Africa crossed from the left.

Australia were inexplicably unable to piece together a constructive move for a long spell but when they did, Savita stretched out pads foiled Brooke Peris’ attempt.

The loss of the referral early in the second quarter didn’t bode well for India but nothing came of the ensuing penalty corner nor any of the six that followed for Australia.

Just one PC came India’s way. And it did moments later and it turned out to be a defining moment. Gurjit’s hit went between goalkeeper Rachel Lynch and the post-woman on her left for what turned out to be the match-winner.

India could well have been two-up when Salima Tete hit the crosspiece after a good run and when the teams went in at halftime and at halftime there was the undeniable feeling that history was in the air.

But it would be fraught with anxiety from an Indian point of view as Australia’s determined efforts fetched a total of seven penalty corners amid a wave of offensives.

But it drew heroic response from the Indian girls, be it blocking by Savita (at PC No. 5) or the grit and tenacity of the defence in warding off danger deep in the circle.

As the temperature soared, silly errors crept into Indian ranks – one the failure to remove her glove after penalty corner defence by Nikki that drew a green card and another by Sushila for playing the ball after the whistle.

But the line stood firm and the Indian girls showed no nerves – dubiously attributed to both men’s and women’s teams of the past – while running down the clock which they did in style.

India will now play Argentina, who beat Germany 3-0, in Wednesday’s semifinal.