Hockey has given India a lot to cheer about at Olympics so far with impressive performances from both the men's team and their counterpart on the first day. However, after PR Sreejesh’s side went down 1-2 against defending Olympic champion Germany, the Indian women’s team were beaten 0-3 by Great Britain at the Olympic Hockey Centre.
The match got underway with Great Britain looking to intimidate right from the starting whistle. Right from the onset, Susannah Townsend and skipper Kate Richardson-Walsh did well to take the attack to the opposition, as seventh-ranked Great Britain started on the positive note against the lower ranked Sushila Chanu’s side. The Indian defence had to weather several pressure situations towards the end of the quarter to see the contest reach the first break with the scores level at 0-0.
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To replicate their first quarter show, Great Britain maintained a similar share of possession and strong buildup play to foray into India’s final third but couldn’t trouble Indian goalkeeper Savita Punia much. With 5 minutes remaining in the second quarter, the English strikers finally earned a couple of penalty corners after the ball touched Sushila Chanu’s foot inside the circle. Giselle Ansley's drag flick found the back of the India net and two minutes later Nicola White doubled the British lead to go 2-0 up at the halfway mark.
There was nothing much to show from India's perspective as well in the third quarter as well, with Alex Danson scoring right after the break to make it 3-0 for Great Britain. The way Vandana Kataria and Rani Rampal initiated proceedings in the final quarter, coach Neil Hawgood must’ve been pleased with her players since they were much more convincing as a unit. But the goal never arrived and the scores remained unchanged at the end of the final whistle.
The win against Japan was an important point for India but this performance by Neil Hawgood’s side was slightly disappointing. To qualify for the quarterfinals, Sushila Chanu's will have to get at least one win and one more draw.
India now will have to play out of their skins to think about reaching the knockout stages. They are in a tough Pool B alongside Argentina, Australia, Japan and THE USA, apart from Great Britain.
