CHENNAI: A sensational PR Sreejesh led from the back as India, down a man for the vast majority of their quarter-final, beat Great Britain in a shoot-out to advance to their second consecutive semifinal at the Olympics.
When the experienced Amit Rohidas was sent off for serious misconduct - a stray stick catching a GB face deemed as intentional - in the 17th minute, it seemed like this match was only going to head one way in the scorching Parisian sun.
One hour later, a jubilant Indian team were screaming, shouting and dancing after enacting one of the great escape acts in the high-stakes world which is Olympics hockey.
After Sreejesh had saved from Phil Roper, the Men In Blue, leading 3-2 in the shoot-out, had three chances to win the game. They won it at the first time, thanks to Raj Kumar Pal's nerveless lift over the keeper.
As soon as the ball hit the net, the crowd went wild. On the pitch, the Indian players converged in the general direction of Sreejesh. Soon enough, there was a scrum with Sreejesh, Manpreet Singh and coach Craig Fulton all part of it.
The end result brought about those scenes because of what had transpired before. Great Britain had more of the ball in the first quarter but India was perhaps feeling their way into the contest after the high of a 2-1 win over Australia 48 hours earlier. Two minutes later, an umpire's referral had condemned them to hell.
Rohidas was in possession in the midfield but while dribbling the ball, his stick was way above his eyeline and it caught an opponent flush above the shoulder. Replays suggested a yellow card may have sufficed but both Viren Rasquinha and Sjoerd Marijne admitted that the red was the correct call.
In the fast-paced world of modern hockey, playing with 10 men (even with myriad rotations) against 11 for close to 45 minutes is almost mission impossible. But India signed up for a once-in-a-lifetime mission and came out the other side unscathed.
Harmanpreet Singh gave India the lead from a penalty corner but Great Britain equalised via Lee Morton three minutes before the half-time break. For the next 30 minutes, it was one of the great walls-to-the-back display by Sreejesh and company. So much so that by the end, Great Britain had run out of ideas.
In the shoot-out, India found theirs.
Shoot-out scores
England James Albery scores 1-0
India Harmanpreet Singh scores 1-1
Zach Wallace scores 2-1
Sukhjeet Singh 2-2
Conor Williamson misses 2-2
Lalit Kumar Upadhyay scores 2-3
Phil Roper misses 2-3
Rajkumar Pal scores 2-4