Tokyo, Aug 5: They have already surpassed all expectations and the Indian women’s hockey team will now look to go a little further and notch up its maiden podium finish at the Olympics when it takes on Great Britain in the bronze medal play-off here on Friday.
Having already recorded their best-ever Olympic performance, the Indian women would look to double the nation’s joy on Friday after the men’s hockey team won bronze.
But it would be easier said than done for the Indians as they were thrashed 1-4 by Great Britain, who were the defending champions in the pool stages.
Having failed to emulate their gold-winning performance in Rio five years back, Great Britain would be desperate to at least sign off their campaign with a podium finish from here.
India can take heart from the fact that contrary to the final score-line, it was a close match against Great Britain in the pool stages.
The Indian women’s hockey team wasted several chances in that match and could have made a closer match of it had they showed better finishing skills.
The difference between the two teams was that India had the better share of chances but Great Britain utilised more opportunities that came their way.
The Indians will take confidence from their spirited performance against world no.2 Argentina in the semifinals even though they lost the match 1-2.
The Indians fought valiantly and gave Argentina a run for their money but were guilty of conceding penalty corners at crucial junctures of the match which eventually proved costly.
Despite the heart-breaking loss against Argentina, India’s chief coach Sjoerd Marijne is focussed on the job ahead.
“We came here to win a medal and still there’s one (available). It’s now about recovery, about the mindset. The good thing is, it’s not always good that we lost a lot in the past but we also have learned to deal with the losses,” Marijne had said.
The Dutchman feels the need of the hour is to grab the opportunities that come their way.
With nothing to lose from here on, world no.7 India would fancy their chances against world no.4 Great Britain.
The pressure would be lighter after the Indian team defeated three-time champions Australia 1-0 to enter the Olympic semifinals for the first time.
India’s best performance in the Olympics came way back in the 1980 Moscow Games where they finished fourth out of six teams. (PTI)
