Three years ago, in Tokyo, India defeated Germany to end their 41-year wait for an Olympic Games medal in hockey.
On Tuesday, they face the same opponents for a place in the final. India, with 10 men for 43 minutes, defeated Great Britain 4-2 (regulation time 1-1) on Sunday for a memorable win. Germany saw off Argentina 3-2 later in the evening.
Defender Amit Rohidas was shown the red card in the 17th minute against Great Britain and will miss the semi-final clash. India’s appeal against his one-match suspension was rejected by the FIH, hockey’s international body.
This means India will have only 15 players available for the key clash.
“Amit Rohidas was suspended for one match for a breach of the FIH Code of Conduct which occurred during the India vs Great Britain match on August 4,” a FIH statement read.
“The suspension affects match No. 35 (India’s semi-final match against Germany), where Amit Rohidas will not participate and India will play with 15 players only.”
Rohidas, 31, was given the marching orders after his stick — seemingly unintentional — hit a rival player on Sunday. He was engaged in a midfield battle with Will Calnan when he swung his stick and hit the Briton’s face in an attempt to evade the forward.
The on-field umpire initially did not rule the challenge to be a serious offence, but the TV umpire changed the decision and recommended a red card following a video referral.
Rohidas is considered one of the best rushers while defending penalty corners and his absence will be badly felt.
India showed remarkable fighting spirit against Great Britain defending everything their rivals threw. Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, playing his last Olympic Games, was brilliant on Sunday and India would want him to deliver a similar performance against reigning world champions.
“Everyone chipped in. We made a great statement,” coach Craig Fulton after the quarter-final win.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh teamed up with Manpreet Singh, who dropped down after Rohidas’s red card, to thwart Great Britain’s attacks, is the man in form. Hopefully, it will continue for the next two matches.
If India win on Tuesday, they will better their Tokyo performance. The last time India won the gold was in 1980. “The wins against Great Britain and Australia (in the group stage) have given us a huge confidence boost,” Sreejesh said.
Now, the German test.
