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Assured of a quarterfinal berth, India will purpose for consistency once they tackle reigning champions Belgium of their powerful penultimate Pool B match of the Olympic Video games in Paris on Thursday. The Pink Lions are main Pool B with three wins from as many matches, whereas the Indians are a rung beneath within the second place with two wins and a draw. Mighty Australia are positioned third with seven factors from two wins and a loss. Argentina have additionally certified for the quarterfinals with 4 factors from three video games, which features a win, a draw and a loss.
New Zealand and Eire are out of the race after struggling three consecutive losses. Solely the highest 4 could make the last-eight stage reduce.
The Indians began their marketing campaign on a shaky word with an in depth 3-2 win over New Zealand after which scored a last-minute objective to salvage a draw towards former champions Argentina.
However towards Eire, it was a totally totally different efficiency from the Indians, at the least within the first two quarters. They dominated the possession with one-touch play to attain two objectives within the first quarter which proved very important in the long run.
India skipper Harmanpreet Singh as soon as once more rose to the event, first changing a penalty stroke after which discovering the online from a set piece within the second quarter handy his aspect the win.
The Indian mid-field, led by veteran and four-time Olympian Manpreet Singh and vice-captain Hardik Singh, additionally introduced their A recreation to the desk, creating a number of possibilities for the forward-line.
The likes of Mandeep Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh and Sukhjeet Singh sparkled upfront by holding the strain on the opposition defence.
In opposition to Eire on Tuesday, India opted for one-to-one quick passes to construct their assaults, as an alternative of going for aerial balls.
Proper-back Jarmanpreet Singh has been a revelation within the event to this point and was omnipresent, be it in defence or creating possibilities from flanks.
One other participant who deserves credit score is Amit Rohidas, who produced a rock stable efficiency on the again. He defended the penalty corners brilliantly being the primary rusher and from one-on-one conditions.
However it’s India’s wall, goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who resides as much as his fame in his Olympic swansong. He made a number of good saves towards Eire within the final two quarters handy his aspect the win.
After Belgium, India will finish their pool engagements towards nemesis Australia on Friday.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
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