The turn was so sharp, so deadly that an American defender who got tricked lay flat on her stomach, burying face in her hands.
The turn was so sharp, so deadly that an American defender who got tricked lay flat on her stomach, burying face in her hands.
Facing the goal sideways to her right, Rani Rampal seemingly had nowhere to go when Sushila Chanu played a square pass inside the ‘D’ from a fluffed penalty corner. Rani had two defenders on her, both assuming Rani to either play it back to Sushila or pass it to a teammate a couple of yards behind her.
Instead, she locked the ball using the toe of her stick and executed a perfect 360-degree turn to open up space. Without even looking up, she found Neha Goyal on the baseline, who crossed it across the face of the USA goal and Lilima Minz tapped it in to put India ahead.
The 360 could well pass off as a metaphor for the turnaround in the Indian team in the recent years. In the 36-year competitive history between the two teams in International Hockey Federation (FIH) tournaments, India had never beaten the USA and had never scored more than two goals against them in one match.
On Friday, Rani’s quick-thinking led to the goal that came against the run of play but opened the floodgates for India, who eventually won the first of the two Olympic qualifiers 5-1. The result puts them in a commanding position to qualify for two consecutive Olympics for the first time ever, as the USA will now have to beat them by a similar margin to force a shoot-out, or a bigger difference to qualify directly.
Before the win that could well be decisive, though, there was very nearly a disaster. It had been 1,690 days since Indian women played a FIH match at home. When they finally did on Friday, the stage fright very nearly killed India’s Tokyo dreams. The range on the passes was missing and the trapping was pedestrian.
When they had to shoot, they were shy. When they had to defend, they erred. Their bodies won’t do what the mind said. And it was baffling how the USA had not taken the lead. It was even more perplexing how India entered the half time 1-0 ahead, via the Minz goal.
“I was not happy with the way we were playing in the first 30 minutes. They got nervous. So I told them this was not a matter of life and death. They did not have to fear anything. Just had to breathe, and think,” coach Sjoerd Marijne says.
With the fear of losing gone, India unleashed hell in the third quarter. In those 15 minutes, India gave an exhibition of near-perfect hockey.
The tribal quintet
In deep defence, Deep Grace Ekka ensured the US did not enter India’s defensive third even once. To her left, Lilima ran up and down the wings tirelessly, giving midfielders Namita Toppo and Salima Tete options to pass. On the right, Nikki Pradhan played the perfect defensive cover in absence of the experienced Sunita Lakra.
The quintet from the tribal belts of Odisha and Jharkhand provided India the solidity in structure, which allowed the more creative players the freedom to push forward. That push came from Sushila Chanu, who wrestled control of the midfield from USA captain Kathleen Sharkey, and Navjot Kaur, whose long, probing balls invariably found an Indian player inside the American ‘D’.
The full-court press employed in the third quarter choked USA’s outletting – the first pass from the back – and pushed them deep into their own half. And three goals that came as a result of it was a snapshot of the progress the team has made.
The first goal in this 15-minute burst, which doubled India’s lead, came from a blinding combination play between Navneet Kaur and Lilima, before Sharmila Devi finished it off (a move yesteryear commentators would’ve as—Lilima se Navneet, Navneet se Sharmila, aur yeh goal!)
Minutes later, India earned their second penalty corner of the quarter and Gurjit Kaur, by far India’s best woman drag-flicker, aimed it low towards USA goalkeeper Kealsie Robles’ right to triple the scoreline. And before USA could even breathe, India were at their doorsteps once again with 17-year-old Lalremsiami and 18-year-old Salima launching a breathtaking counterattack that was finished off by Navneet.
“Setting up an attack like that at this stage. I think every Indian can be proud of that,” Marijne says off the counterattack. “It was our best quarter.”
India did not show any signs of letting up in the final 15 minutes. It was only after Gurjit made it 5-0 by converting a penalty stroke that Rani & Co. got a little complacent. And they were punished for that almost immediately as USA pulled one back after Erin Matson – who had multiple scoring opportunities in the first half – scored from the spot.
Whether her goal is a consolation, or it sparks a comeback on Saturday, though, remains to be seen. After half-time in this two-match tie, it is India who have their one foot in the Olympics.
Facing the goal sideways to her right, Rani Rampal seemingly had nowhere to go when Sushila Chanu played a square pass inside the ‘D’ from a fluffed penalty corner. Rani had two defenders on her, both assuming Rani to either play it back to Sushila or pass it to a teammate a couple of yards behind her.
Instead, she locked the ball using the toe of her stick and executed a perfect 360-degree turn to open up space. Without even looking up, she found Neha Goyal on the baseline, who crossed it across the face of the USA goal and Lilima Minz tapped it in to put India ahead.
The 360 could well pass off as a metaphor for the turnaround in the Indian team in the recent years. In the 36-year competitive history between the two teams in International Hockey Federation (FIH) tournaments, India had never beaten the USA and had never scored more than two goals against them in one match.
On Friday, Rani’s quick-thinking led to the goal that came against the run of play but opened the floodgates for India, who eventually won the first of the two Olympic qualifiers 5-1. The result puts them in a commanding position to qualify for two consecutive Olympics for the first time ever, as the USA will now have to beat them by a similar margin to force a shoot-out, or a bigger difference to qualify directly.
Before the win that could well be decisive, though, there was very nearly a disaster. It had been 1,690 days since Indian women played a FIH match at home. When they finally did on Friday, the stage fright very nearly killed India’s Tokyo dreams. The range on the passes was missing and the trapping was pedestrian.
When they had to shoot, they were shy. When they had to defend, they erred. Their bodies won’t do what the mind said. And it was baffling how the USA had not taken the lead. It was even more perplexing how India entered the half time 1-0 ahead, via the Minz goal.
“I was not happy with the way we were playing in the first 30 minutes. They got nervous. So I told them this was not a matter of life and death. They did not have to fear anything. Just had to breathe, and think,” coach Sjoerd Marijne says.
With the fear of losing gone, India unleashed hell in the third quarter. In those 15 minutes, India gave an exhibition of near-perfect hockey.
The tribal quintet
In deep defence, Deep Grace Ekka ensured the US did not enter India’s defensive third even once. To her left, Lilima ran up and down the wings tirelessly, giving midfielders Namita Toppo and Salima Tete options to pass. On the right, Nikki Pradhan played the perfect defensive cover in absence of the experienced Sunita Lakra.
The quintet from the tribal belts of Odisha and Jharkhand provided India the solidity in structure, which allowed the more creative players the freedom to push forward. That push came from Sushila Chanu, who wrestled control of the midfield from USA captain Kathleen Sharkey, and Navjot Kaur, whose long, probing balls invariably found an Indian player inside the American ‘D’.
The full-court press employed in the third quarter choked USA’s outletting – the first pass from the back – and pushed them deep into their own half. And three goals that came as a result of it was a snapshot of the progress the team has made.
The first goal in this 15-minute burst, which doubled India’s lead, came from a blinding combination play between Navneet Kaur and Lilima, before Sharmila Devi finished it off (a move yesteryear commentators would’ve as—Lilima se Navneet, Navneet se Sharmila, aur yeh goal!)
Minutes later, India earned their second penalty corner of the quarter and Gurjit Kaur, by far India’s best woman drag-flicker, aimed it low towards USA goalkeeper Kealsie Robles’ right to triple the scoreline. And before USA could even breathe, India were at their doorsteps once again with 17-year-old Lalremsiami and 18-year-old Salima launching a breathtaking counterattack that was finished off by Navneet.
“Setting up an attack like that at this stage. I think every Indian can be proud of that,” Marijne says off the counterattack. “It was our best quarter.”
India did not show any signs of letting up in the final 15 minutes. It was only after Gurjit made it 5-0 by converting a penalty stroke that Rani & Co. got a little complacent. And they were punished for that almost immediately as USA pulled one back after Erin Matson – who had multiple scoring opportunities in the first half – scored from the spot.
Whether her goal is a consolation, or it sparks a comeback on Saturday, though, remains to be seen. After half-time in this two-match tie, it is India who have their one foot in the Olympics.