{"id":108096,"date":"2024-08-05T01:20:19","date_gmt":"2024-08-05T01:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/05\/explained-why-india-will-play-paris-olympics-hockey-semifinal-against-germany-with-15-players-paris-olympics-2024-news-times-of-india\/"},"modified":"2024-08-05T01:20:19","modified_gmt":"2024-08-05T01:20:19","slug":"explained-why-india-will-play-paris-olympics-hockey-semifinal-against-germany-with-15-players-paris-olympics-2024-news-times-of-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/05\/explained-why-india-will-play-paris-olympics-hockey-semifinal-against-germany-with-15-players-paris-olympics-2024-news-times-of-india\/","title":{"rendered":"EXPLAINED: Why India will play Paris Olympics hockey semifinal against Germany with 15 players | Paris Olympics 2024 News – Times of India"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Indian men’s hockey team has received a jolt ahead of their Paris Olympics semifinal against Germany and are already at a disadvantage in their quest for a place in the final after 44 years.
The Tokyo Olympics<\/a> bronze medallists will have only 15 players available to play the last-four clash instead of a full squad of 16 after defender Amit Rohidas was suspended for one match following his red card in the quarterfinal against Great Britain.WHY ROHIDAS GOT A RED CARD<\/span>
The 31-year-old Rohidas was spotted swinging his stick across the face of British forward Will Calnan in the second quarter of the match on Sunday. The on-field umpire did not rule the offence as serious to get a red card, but he was shown red and given the marching orders after a video referral.
Subsequently, India played the British team with 10 players for more than 40 minutes. However, the Harmanpreet Singh-led side defended heroically, thanks largely to PR Sreejesh’s presence in the goalpost, to held onto the 1-1 scoreline and take the game to a shootout.
Goalkeeper Sreejesh once again turned out to be the star, saving two attempts by the GB team in the one-on-one shootout to help India earn a dramatic 4-2 win and a second successive entry into the semis at the Olympics.<\/p>\n

HOCKEY INDIA’S OFFICIAL COMPLAINT<\/span>
After the match, India officially raised a concern “about the quality of umpiring and decision-making” and citied “several inconsistencies in officiating” that “potentially influenced the game’s outcome”.
Among the issues raised by India were “inconsistent video umpire reviews, particularly regarding the red-card decision” and the fact that the British goalkeeper was being coached from behind the goalpost during the shootout.
“Hockey India calls for a thorough review of these matters to uphold the integrity of the sport and ensure fair play in future matches,” the complaint read.<\/p>\n

ONE-MATCH SUSPENSION FOR ROHIDAS<\/span>
However, later in the evening, the tournament’s organising committee handed Rohidas a one-match ban for breaching the FIH Code of Conduct, which means India will have one player less in their usual squad of 16 men for the semifinal against Germany.
\u201cAmit Rohidas was suspended for one match for a breach of the FIH Code of Conduct which occurred during the India vs Great Britain match on August 4,\u201d read the official statement by the FIH.
\u201cThe suspension affects match No. 35 (India\u2019s semi-final match against Germany), where Amit Rohidas will not participate and India will play with a squad of 15 players only.\u201d<\/p>\n

HOW ROHIDAS’S ABSENCE AFFECTS INDIA<\/span>
Rohidas’s absence will seriously hamper the Indian defence, their options of drag-flickers on penalty corners and most importantly a rusher on penalty-corner defence.
Rohidas is considered one of the best rushers in the world when it comes to penalty-corner defence, and his absence will force India’s chief coach Craig Fulton to alter India’s short-corner strategy against Germany.<\/div>\n