Paris, July 31: Assured of a quarterfinal berth, India will aim for consistency when they take on reigning champions Belgium in their tough penultimate Pool B match of the Olympic Games here on Thursday.
The Red Lions are leading Pool B with three wins from as many matches, while the Indians are a rung below in the second place with two wins and a draw.
Mighty Australia are placed third with seven points from two wins and a loss. Argentina have also qualified for the quarterfinals with four points from three games, which includes a win, a draw and a loss.
New Zealand and Ireland are out of the race after suffering three consecutive losses. Only the top four can make the last-eight stage cut.
The Indians started their campaign on a shaky note with a close 3-2 win over New Zealand and then scored a last-minute goal to salvage a draw against former champions Argentina.
But against Ireland, it was a completely different performance from the Indians, at least in the first two quarters. They dominated the possession with one-touch play to score two goals in the first quarter which proved vital in the end.
India skipper Harmanpreet Singh once again rose to the occasion, first converting a penalty stroke and then finding the net from a set piece in the second quarter to hand his side the win.
The Indian mid-field, led by veteran and four-time Olympian Manpreet Singh and vice-captain Hardik Singh, also brought their A game to the table, creating several chances for the forward-line.
The likes of Mandeep Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh and Sukhjeet Singh sparkled upfront by keeping the pressure on the opposition defence.
Against Ireland on Tuesday, India opted for one-to-one short passes to build their attacks, instead of going for aerial balls.
Right-back Jarmanpreet Singh has been a revelation in the tournament so far and was omnipresent, be it in defence or creating chances from flanks.
Another player who deserves credit is Amit Rohidas, who produced a rock solid performance at the back. He defended the penalty corners brilliantly being the first rusher and from one-on-one situations. (PTI)
