EXPLAINED: Why India will play Paris Olympics hockey semifinal in opposition to Germany with 15 gamers | Paris Olympics 2024 Information

The Indian males’s hockey workforce has acquired a jolt forward of their Paris Olympics semifinal in opposition to Germany and are already at an obstacle of their quest for a spot within the closing after 44 years.
The Tokyo Olympics bronze medallists can have solely 15 gamers out there to play the last-four conflict as a substitute of a full squad of 16 after defender Amit Rohidas was suspended for one match following his pink card within the quarterfinal in opposition to Nice Britain.WHY ROHIDAS GOT A RED CARD
The 31-year-old Rohidas was noticed swinging his stick throughout the face of British ahead Will Calnan within the second quarter of the match on Sunday. The on-field umpire didn’t rule the offence as critical to get a pink card, however he was proven pink and given the marching orders after a video referral.
Subsequently, India performed the British workforce with 10 gamers for greater than 40 minutes. Nonetheless, the Harmanpreet Singh-led facet defended heroically, thanks largely to PR Sreejesh’s presence within the goalpost, to held onto the 1-1 scoreline and take the sport to a shootout.
Goalkeeper Sreejesh as soon as once more turned out to be the star, saving two makes an attempt by the GB workforce within the one-on-one shootout to assist India earn a dramatic 4-2 win and a second successive entry into the semis on the Olympics.

HOCKEY INDIA’S OFFICIAL COMPLAINT
After the match, India formally raised a priority “concerning the high quality of umpiring and decision-making” and citied “a number of inconsistencies in officiating” that “probably influenced the sport’s consequence”.
Among the many points raised by India had been “inconsistent video umpire opinions, notably relating to the red-card choice” and the truth that the British goalkeeper was being coached from behind the goalpost throughout the shootout.
“Hockey India requires an intensive evaluation of those issues to uphold the integrity of the game and guarantee honest play in future matches,” the criticism learn.

ONE-MATCH SUSPENSION FOR ROHIDAS
Nonetheless, later within the night, the match’s organising committee handed Rohidas a one-match ban for breaching the FIH Code of Conduct, which suggests India can have one participant much less of their traditional squad of 16 males for the semifinal in opposition to Germany.
“Amit Rohidas was suspended for one match for a breach of the FIH Code of Conduct which occurred throughout the India vs Nice Britain match on August 4,” learn the official assertion by the FIH.
“The suspension impacts match No. 35 (India’s semi-final match in opposition to Germany), the place Amit Rohidas won’t take part and India will play with a squad of 15 gamers solely.”

HOW ROHIDAS’S ABSENCE AFFECTS INDIA
Rohidas’s absence will critically hamper the Indian defence, their choices of drag-flickers on penalty corners and most significantly a rusher on penalty-corner defence.
Rohidas is taken into account top-of-the-line rushers on the earth with regards to penalty-corner defence, and his absence will power India’s chief coach Craig Fulton to change India’s short-corner technique in opposition to Germany.