Dennis Mitch, coach of the 100m World Champion, Sha’Carri Richardson believes that the sprint (100m) is “one of the most expressive things that an individual can do.”
Some distance away from the athletic stadium, Stade de France, at the Yves-du-Manor, the Indian hockey team gave rein to a different form of expression; a free-flowing style, a perfect mix of skill and physicality that through the course of 60 minutes, in a roller coaster last Pool B game ensured what earlier seemed an impossibility – beating the Tokyo Olympic finalists Australia 3-2; a victory that has taken 52 years to achieve at the Olympic Games. To the fans, clamouring for a more artistic approach rather than the gritty, technical grinding that India was going through, the wait was well worth it.
Overcoming The Australians
India now move into the Olympic Games quarterfinals where they face Great Britain on Sunday in a match that promises loads of counterattacks, extreme physical defending and some splendid penalty corner manoeuvres. GB lost their last Pool A match to World Champions Germany 1-2, taking the third spot and lining up for a Tokyo Olympics rematch where India had beaten them, in the quarterfinals, 3-1.
Australia definitely didn’t see it coming. They knew India were tough, could lock down for long periods of time but they had the resources – the constant, relentless attacking, ultimately breaking you down. But the earlier game where Olympic Champions Belgium had beaten Australia 6-2 not only gave the other teams hope but showed the cracks in the Australian side, since Tokyo.
Many fans would remember that Pro League game in Rourkela, earlier in the year, when Australia had taken a 2-0 lead, India equalised 2-2, then took the lead 4-2 but eventually lost the match 6-4. India did lose, but the coaching staff under Craig Fulton would have seen those vulnerabilities and over the course of months before Paris redefined what was required to win against Australia.
Defence Wins Tournaments
Fulton believes that “defence wins tournaments” and through the Pool matches, that aspect is working. Yet, for the first time, India, also played an open game, helped by the space that Australia gives playing an attacking style.
During the course of four quarters, the game seemed like an open carcass with both teams devouring off it. In some moments, the attacks and counterattacks were of such intensity making one wonder how long those legs could carry India, especially after that hard fought 1-2 defeat to Belgium, a day earlier. But they stuck in. Abhishek playing brilliantly, finding the perfect foil in Mandeep, the midfield finally getting the space to display their skills, both Vivek Prasad and Hardik motoring up and down, Jarmanpreet, one of the most improved players in this team and someone who could play deep defence, be the link to the forwards and also move up the right flank, dragging a few Aussie defenders over to his side, opening up the channels for the Indian forwards. Jarman has been the pick of the Indian players, plucking out the aerials, defending on the line and also moving through the middle, a separate force of his own.
PR Sreejesh: The Unyielding Fortress of Indian Hockey
To say that PR Sreejesh has been a strength of this side would be an understatement. And the word ‘wall’ now seems inadequate. Sreejesh who announced before Paris that this would be his last Olympics Games is the fortification around this Indian team; the rampart, the bulwark keeping PC convertors and marauding forwards away. Time and again, he is stretched out, pads to the rescue, falling sideways to tackle the angled balls, his gloves and sticks, moving like several arms: the multi-armed God keeping evil forces at bay.
It's not that India doesn’t have weaknesses. It does. The time taken to adapt to certain situations gives the opponent control over play. For players who have had to adapt to Fulton’s style and functioning not to speak of philosophy, some may feel drudgery, that overwhelming feeling of running away with the ball, the lack of one-on-one tandem play may seem like wings being clipped but the overall impact of playing with your heads and not emotions has been strengthened.
At times, they veer away from the drawing board, and you can see both ends of the coin in Abhishek’s play – turning at pace with a snapshot following which got India’s opening goal against both Belgium and Australia and then that extra dribble despite knowing a player was in a better position for a pass.
The Great Britain Challenge Awaits
Fulton knows the British side and also understands that they will come at the Indians, led by their astute coach Paul Revington. In terms of rankings, that usually have no meaning in an Olympic quarter-final, yet to give a context, GB are ranked World No. 2 with India No. 7.
GB has seven Olympic debutants compared to India’s five. Revington has taken Gb back to playing at pace, his philosophy has already been compared to cricket’s Bazball.
Speaking to The Times (London), before the Games began, Sam Ward, who has fought back from a career threatening eye injury, said: “We don’t believe in draws. We want to entertain the crowd and do everything we can to win games. At the end of the day, you don’t want to park the bus and win 1-0. I’d rather win 5-4, although I am not sure the gaffer (coach) would appreciate us conceding four.”
Speaking on Revington’s philosophy, Ward said: “He’s come in and changed the way we are, bringing the best out of all of us. Probably never have we played under a coach who has given the freedom that he has to express ourselves.”
Expression is Key
Expression is key in knock-out games. There are no draws. No living to fight the next day. They say Fulton has several cards up his sleeve. Did we see a few during the match against Australia or did the Indian players revel in the space akin to swimming in the sea than a constrained narrow stream?
Collective efforts come from selflessness and having fun. On the pitch, it’s being tactically savvy and executing the coach’s philosophy that sets the pattern of play. It’s also a quarterfinal where the team that processes the situation, acts, executes will be two ticks (semis, final) away from glory.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)