CHENNAI: In a performance for the ages from a match from another age, the men's hockey team took down Australia for the first time at the Olympics since 1972. Do you know how long back 1972 was? When they beat Australia in Munich, Munich was in a country that doesn't even exist today. The surface that match was played on — grass — also doesn't exist today. At least, officially. That's how long India's passionate hockey-loving public have had to wait for a day like this. That's how long they have had to wait for a moment like this. Drink this in and bottle this feeling and sell it in the supermarkets.
Don't even bother telling them this came in a group stage game. Sure, their quarterfinal encounter in about 48 hours will be more important but there are few things that affects the mind positively like taking down one of the biggest dogs in the sport. Coming into the Olympics, the team had gone to Australia to play a bilateral Test series. India lost the series 0-5 but the management didn't really panic. Results in games like these are usually devoid of wider context. The management was more interested in reading the fineprint; how were the performances, can certain players be trusted to execute skills against the best of the best and which players would definitely be on the flight to Paris.
On the evidence of the last 60 minutes and change, Harmanpreet Singh and Co. will be pleased. First things first. This 3-2 win was a slightly backs-to-the-wall performance against an Australian side who still showcased their fast and pacy brand of hockey. But whenever they escaped the clutches of the Indian defence, PR Sreejesh was a man mountain at the back. He repelled a lot of shots and the defence itself held firm on multiple occasions.
But what changed between some of the earlier one-sided beatdowns and this is the two-goal advantage India had two minutes before the second quarter. Australia threw everything they could — they had 36 circle penetrations (India had 20), they had 19 shots on goal (India had 12) including 13 from open play (India had six) — but the Men In Blue had adopted a bloody-mindedness one wouldn't normally associate with them in games like these. An example. Eleven minutes into the match, Australia had a penalty corner. Less than 100 seconds later, India went ahead. They were so good in transferring pressure to the opponents.
Both sides traded punches like two super-heavyweight boxers before India drew first blood via the now familiar frame of Abhishek. He's a type of a forward India haven't had in recent times. Think of him as a constant presence in the opponent third of the pitch, where his busy running and dribbling can put pressure. He also has an elite first-touch and when you couple that with crisp ball-striking, you get a good forward. A goalbound effort from Lalit Upadhyay was parried by Andrew Charter. Abhishek took control of the loose ball, weaves his way through traffic before slamming the ball past Charter's near post.
A minute later, Harmanpreet Singh multiplied the lead via a penalty corner. 2-0 and dreamland.
In an increasingly ding-dong, coast-to-coast battle, the Tokyo silver-medallists got one back. But India, courtesy a handy review, were handed a stroke for a foul on the goal-line. Harmanpreet converted again. They had a couple of nervy moments after that but they weren't going to be denied. Not on a day like this.
1972 India's last win over Australia in Olympics came at the 1972 Munich Games
1st The win on Friday was India's first over Australia at the Games on the turf