It was Indian hockey at its best and worst, all in the space of 13 bizarre, breathless minutes. Till the 47th minute, they were being outplayed by the World’s No.2 side Holland. They were losing 2-1. Until they equalised, went ahead, then doubled their lead with just four minutes to play only to concede twice in the last two minutes. With scores level 5-5 after four quarters, the match went into penalty shootouts where goalkeeper PR Sreejesh once again stood like a rock to help guide India to a remarkable 3-2 win and end a 33-year wait to win a medal at a major international hockey event, excluding continental tournaments. The last time India finished on the podium in a FIH tournament was in 1982, when they won a bronze medal. On a mental Sunday evening, they finally ended the hoodoo. The match began with Holland dominating the hosts in the first three quarters before it lost shape, order and discipline. By the end of it all, they had lost the count of goals. For the longest time, it looked like Holland would steamroll India. They scored twice in the opening two quarters and had at least half-a-dozen other chances, which either went wide or were saved by PR Sreejesh. Ramandeep Singh pulled one back for India in the 39th minute. However, Holland still looked in complete control. But Oltmans saved his masterstroke for the last. In the final quarter, the Dutchman decided to move skipper Sardar Singh up field, more as a forward instead of his position in the central midfield or in the defence. Sardar reinstilled order up front, pressing high and bringing discipline that was missing so far. Suddenly, India looked a transformed side. They showed urgency of a team that was desperate to prove a point, giving an impression for the first time that they did not want to bow out of a tournament on a losing note. They won the 50-50 balls, were more incisive in the circle penetrations and backed themselves to get something even of the half opportunities. Control to chaos The pressure applied by India created panic in the Dutch defence and control soon turned into chaos. Rupinderpal Singh equalised from a penalty corner in the 47th minute. That goal opened the floodgates and in the following 13 minutes, both teams scored seven goals between them, with India scoring four times. It was more like a basketball match with both teams finding the net with virtually every attack. Rupinderpal’s drag-flick was followed by an opportunistic goal by Ramandeep four minutes later to put India in the lead but Mink van der Weerden restored parity for Holland in the 54th minute. India scored twice in as many minutes with Rupinderpal (penalty stroke) and Akashdeep Singh giving India a vital two-goal cushion with just four minutes remaining. It was an improbable comeback, a kind of performance that surprised India’s dugout more than Holland’s. Before this match, India had scored just four goals in the five matches. On Sunday, they scored as many goals in just nine minutes. It was mental stuff but still too soon for India to celebrate. Closing out a match has been the side’s biggest undoing, and it returned to haunt them again. Soon after conceding their fifth, Holland players formed a huddle near the half line, with the captain Orbert van der Horst insisting the team sticks to the gameplan. The Dutch regained their shape, and India lost their heads going into the final two minutes. Van der Weerden pulled one back in the 58th minute and with just five seconds remaining, India allowed a soft penalty corner after the ball hit Rupinderpal’s leg inside the ‘D’. Van der Weerden completed his hat-trick with a brilliant flick to force a shootout. Sreejesh the saviour The last time India were involved in a shootout, they had erased a dubious record that haunted them for more than a decade-old. But this wasn’t Incheon and Holland weren’t Pakistan. They are a side that thrives under pressure. The same goes for Sreejesh as well. Sreejesh, however, was playing on three pain killers. He had injured his right thigh, right shoulder and right thumb during the course of the tournament, and till late Saturday night was on the treatment table. Injured he may be, but his presence in the goal is intimidating enough. Like the match itself, fortunes swung during the shootout with Holland taking an early lead only for India to make another comeback. Danish Mujtaba and Amir Khan missed India’s first two shootouts after Billy Bakker had put Holland ahead. But Sreejesh’s agility and ability to cover the angle ensured Holland missed their following two strikes before Seve van Ass converted his. Birendra Lakra and Sardar’s successful conversions levelled the scores 2-2. However, Valentin Verga missed his chance after Sreejesh blocked his angle and pushed him wide. Manpreet Singh, who had another memorable outing, stepped up to take India’s final penalty but he was obstructed by Dutch goalkeeper Pirmin Blaak, forcing the referee to award India a penalty stroke. Rupinderpal, who had already converted a stroke during normal time, stepped up and without even flinching he slotted it past Blaak to complete India’s memorable comeback. Amidst all the frenzy that followed, even the emcee fumbled. "India have won gold medal in the bronze medal match," he declared, as the crowd roared, ignoring his error. Just like they had ignored India’s for the 60 preceding minutes. Australia clinch gold World Champions Australia sounded out a warning to their opponents in run up to the Olympics by winning the gold medal at the Hockey World League finals, beating Belgium 2-1 in the title clash on Sunday. Jeremy Hayward (16’) and Matthew Dawson (37’) were on target for Australia while Simon Goughnard scored a consolation goal for Belgium in the final minute. Final positions: 1: Australia; 2: Belgium; 3: India; 4: Holland; 5: Argentina; 6: Britain; 7: Germany; 8: Canada
