‘India men’s hockey team’s Tokyo 2020 triumph augurs well for the future’
The former India skipper was full of praise on coach Graham Reid and the support staff.
India men’s hockey team won their first medal in 41 years as they edged past Germany 5-4 in a tense bronze medal play-off game at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The Germans took the lead through Timur Oruz before Simranjeet Singh equalized for India. However, Benedikt Furk and Niklas Wellen put Germany in a strong position by scoring the second and third goals respectively.
Hardik Singh and Harmanpreet Singh restored parity for the Men in Blue before Rupinder Pal converted a penalty stroke. Simranjeet scored his second of the game to make it 5-3 before Lukas Windfeder pulled one back. The last few minutes were tense with Germany throwing everything at their opponents but the Indians managed to hold their nerve to win the bronze medal.
M.M.Somaya, who was part of the men’s hockey team which won gold at Moscow 1980, hailed the performance of Graham Reid’s side and pointed out that their superior fitness levels made the difference. He also highlighted that the technical team made some crucial tactical changes which helped the team bounce back after being 3-0 down.
“It was wonderful to see the team win. Especially since there were a few times, in the past, when the team had missed out on making the semi-finals narrowly. They played very well throughout the tournament. Also, there were many youngsters in the team, it augurs well for the future,” Somaya told Olympics.com.
“I think the key for India today was fitness and the will to win. And they had the conviction. Even before the Olympics started, they had that conviction that they have to win a medal this time. Also, there were some very good tactical moves from the coaching staff. When they were 1-3 down, they took the fight to the opposition rather than sitting back and waiting for things to happen,” he shared his thoughts on the thrilling 5-4 win over Germany.
PR Sreejesh led by example as he made some crucial saves, especially in the dying embers of the match to keep India’s slender lead intact. Somaya reiterated that the veteran custodian upped his game at Tokyo 2020 Olympics which helped the Indian team considerably.
“This team has a strong mindset, that’s what mattered when they were down, and they had to hold on to the advantage in the final quarter. Sreejesh also rose to the occasion. Even in the closing minutes when they had all 11 outfield players and were attacking India managed to keep a clean slate,” said Somaya.