{"id":287887,"date":"2025-04-22T20:17:08","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T20:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/22\/indian-hockey-team-ends-52-year-wait-beats-australia-at-paris-olympics\/"},"modified":"2025-04-22T20:17:08","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T20:17:08","slug":"indian-hockey-team-ends-52-year-wait-beats-australia-at-paris-olympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/22\/indian-hockey-team-ends-52-year-wait-beats-australia-at-paris-olympics\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian hockey team ends 52-year wait, beats Australia at Paris Olympics"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The French call it l\u2019echelle de Zidane.<\/p>\n

Loosely translated as the \u2018Zidane scale\u2019, it\u2019s a phrase used to describe the pleasure generated by a sporting spectacle. On a \u2018Zidane scale of 10\u2032, the scenes at the historic Yves du Manoir Stadium would go off the charts.<\/p>\n

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Ending years of hurt, erasing the memories of all the recent and old spankings, India defeated Australia, their bete noire, 3-2 in their concluding Pool B match. The unlikely win meant they finished second behind Belgium and set up a quarterfinal against Great Britain, rematch of the Tokyo Games last-8 fixture that India won,<\/p>\n

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This must be a new feeling for an Indian hockey follower, who is so used to watching the team getting thrashed by the Kookaburras at the big stages \u2014 before Friday, India had not beaten Australia in the Olympics since Munich 1972.<\/p>\n

What was different, you\u2019d wonder? Nothing profound \u2013 it was as close as India got to playing a perfect game, returning to their roots of fast, counterattacking hockey, not making any of their typical errors, and impeccable decision-making.<\/p>\n

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The last time the Indian Hockey team beat Australia at the Olympics was 5\ufe0f\u20e32\ufe0f\u20e3 years ago! \ud83e\udd2f<\/p>\n

Catch all the action from #Paris2024<\/a> on #Sports18<\/a>, plus stream for FREE on #JioCinema<\/a>! \ud83d\udc48#OlympicsOnJioCinema<\/a> #OlympicsOnSports18<\/a> #JioCinemaSports<\/a> #Cheer4Bharat<\/a> #Hockey<\/a> #Olympics<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ZAzc6gJh6c<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 JioCinema (@JioCinema) August 2, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As was the case in Tokyo, where India finished on the podium for the first time since 1980, it was goalkeeper PR Sreejesh who had the final say. With Australia upping the ante in the final five minutes when they reduced the 1-3 deficit to 2-3, they made a final foray into the Indian \u2018D\u2019 with barely seconds left to play.<\/p>\n

Sreejesh stepped out of his lines to thwart the attack and was on his backside when an Australian attacker unleashed a desperate shot inside a crowded \u2018D\u2019. Sreejesh stuck out his left hand and parried the ball away. The hooter sounded and the Indians just let out a huge, audible sigh. They were drained to even celebrate this humongous win, which has the potential to be a transformative moment of their campaign.<\/p>\n

At Tokyo 2020, PR Sreejesh played a pivotal role in helping India secure their first-ever Hockey medal at the Olympics since 1980. (Reuters)<\/span><\/p>\n

It was poetic that Sreejesh \u2014 who made numerous match-winning saves, including from point-blank ranges \u2014 had the final defining touch. In his farewell tournament, he can now boast of having done something the previous generations haven\u2019t \u2014 this, in addition to the Olympic bronze he already has.<\/p>\n

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But this match wasn\u2019t about Sreejesh alone. It needed a complete team effort for India to stop Australia from going on another rampage like they did in Tokyo, and all the other previous big tournament matches. It also needed a massive tactical intervention from coach Craig Fulton, who is revealing his cards one at a time.<\/p>\n

The noticeable difference was how India attacked. Until his match, India have largely been patient in the build-ups, passing the ball cautiously to not lose possession, spotting the gaps on the field and then moving forward. Sideways passing isn\u2019t how India played. A team that loves to be direct, the players looked a little constrained in this approach, unable to show the full scale of their prowess.<\/p>\n

On Friday, they were liberated. Like the India of the past, they went from zero to 100 within the blink of an eye and complimented the pace with immaculate precision. It was a rare day when the ball moved from stick to stick effortlessly (some of India\u2019s one-touch play in the attacking third was sparkling), the trapping errors were few and the decisions spot on.<\/p>\n

The last bit, the decision-making, was evident in the way India scored the first goal. Lalit Upadhyay got the ball inside Australia\u2019s \u2018D\u2019 and took a shot, which was blocked by the goalkeeper. It landed at the stick of Abhishek, who did not panic or pass.<\/p>\n

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The young forward from Haryana, groomed by a Hindi teacher in his early days, took a couple of touches to take the ball to the top of the \u2018D\u2019, where he is most comfortable and on the turn, unleashed a power hit that gave the Australian goalkeeper no chance to save. Like the Indian legend Gaganajit Singh\u2019s signature tomahawks and the dribble that became synonymous with Dhanraj Pillay, the shot-on-the-turn is fast becoming Abhishek\u2019s signature.<\/p>\n

The 12th-minute goal seemed to have shaken Australia, who are so used to scoring first in this fixture. Today, it was India showing the same level of ruthlessness. A minute later, Manpreet Singh \u2014 who was immense; joined the attacks, helping the defence; he even made a last-ditch goal-line clearance on a rare occasion when Sreejesh was beaten \u2014 and then threaded a through ball that would have made even Zidane proud.<\/p>\n

From the centre of the pitch, he drilled in a pass that opened up Australia\u2019s defence, created panic and led to them conceding a penalty corner. India\u2019s conversion rate hadn\u2019t been impressive \u2014 they had scored only three from the set-piece from 26 attempts. But the hockey Gods were smiling on them today and captain Harmanpreet Singh needed just one chance to get on the scoreboard. The canon-like shot he fired, stayed low and thudded into the wooden boards; the sweet sound of India doubling their lead.<\/p>\n

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Sreejesh can save them all \ud83d\udcaa<\/p>\n

Watch India \ud83c\udd9a Australia LIVE NOW on #Sports18<\/a> & stream FREE on #JioCinema<\/a>https:\/\/t.co\/gSEsPeomjp<\/a>#OlympicsonJioCinema<\/a> #OlympicsonSports18<\/a> #Paris2024<\/a> #Hockey<\/a> #JioCinemaSports<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/WxKpOFyZmW<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 JioCinema (@JioCinema) August 2, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

By their lofty standards, Australia have had an average tournament (they still beat New Zealand 5-0 on Thursday) but even they wouldn\u2019t have seen this coming.<\/p>\n

But Australia doesn\u2019t surrender cheaply. And when Thomas Craig made the most of a defensive error to pull one back in the 25th minute, the ghosts of the past would have returned to haunt the Indian fans who\u2019d have been bracing for another meltdown.<\/p>\n

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It never came. Quite the opposite. India grew in confidence with every passing minute; guarding their D so well that Australia were not given any free shots on goal. When they did go beyond the defence, Sreejesh was there to thwart them. And when the goalkeeper too was beaten, Indian defenders would pop out of nowhere to stop the ball from going in.<\/p>\n

The workrate they put in showed just how much India wanted this win. The third goal India scored had all elements of this. Moments after the restart in the third quarter, Tom Wickham stole the ball from Hardik Singh and was bearing down on goal, only to be stopped by an onrushing Sreejesh. The goalkeeper padded the ball away, leading to an immediate transition.<\/p>\n

Within microseconds, India were in Australia\u2019s half. Mandeep Singh<\/a> did what Mandeep Singh does \u2013 draw a foul. It earned India a penalty corner, which was stopped by the Australian defender at the goalpost by his foot. It resulted in a penalty stroke that Harmanpreet converted to put India 3-1 up.<\/p>\n

Australia kept coming back and made it 3-2 in the 55th minute, and if not for Sreejesh, would have equalised in the last second.<\/p>\n