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Indian women’s hockey team continued their Olympics 2021 horror when they went down to Great Britain 1-4 in their third Pool A Olympics 2021 match at the Oi Hockey Stadium in Tokyo on Wednesday.
The Indians started off in poor fashion with Great Britain dominating the game courtesy of their agility and precision. The Indians did come back a little into the game in the second quarter.
However, just as it looked like India could dictate terms, a couple of rough tackles and yellow cards took the game away from them. After the break, Great Britain and India were almost matched equally, but with a lack of more ball possession and a shaky defensive line, India failed to claw their way back into the game.
India vs Great Britain: As and when it happened
Player ratings of Indian women’s hockey team
Savita Punia 7/10
The Indian goalkeeper did look a little vulnerable and shaken after leaking an early goal but Savita Punia bounced back to thwart a fluent Great Britain attack. Her statistics show that she did save five attempts out of eight in play, but with a shaky defensive line ahead of her, the goalkeeper was always found wanting an extra vigil.
Rani Rampal 7/10
Going by the skipper’s standards, Rani had an ordinary outing. Although the skipper was a live wire on the field, she lacked support from her teammates. Her combination with Vandana Katariya, especially in the last quarter, was good but they couldn’t make any inroads. She did battle her way into the ‘D’ at times but poor finishing did her and the team in.
Deep Grace Ekka 4/10
The Indian player took three penalty corners but couldn’t get her drag flick to perfection. The experienced player was also guilty of not holding the defensive line watertight, enabling Great Britain players to comfortably make inroads.
Gurjit Kaur 4/10
The Indian drag flicker lacked conviction in her drag flicks. She took three penalty corners and all three were saved by an agile Great Britain defense, which accentuated her lack of conviction in her shots.
Monika 4/10
The player got a chance to score in the final moments of open play from a tight angle but the player lacked conviction. Monika was also guilty of not providing ample support to Vandana Katariya and Sharmila Devi, at times.
Sharmila Devi 6/10
Sharmila did well to complete a drag flick from Gurjit Kaur to score by waiting at the goal mouth. She should be doing more with her finishing skills in open play as she missed an easy chance. She also blocked one shot with her body and that resulted in a penalty stroke. She also looked a little less intense than how she was against Germany
Vandana Katariya 7/10
By far, Vandana Katariya was one of the best players in the field for India. She faced fierce tackles and got a green card too, but frequently made inroads into the ‘D’. She would, however, want to work on her finishing skills from a tight angle as the player was found wanting on the run, more often than not.
Lalremsiami 4/10
The player was courageous in rushing into an incoming drag flick but apart from that, the player’s passing and receiving was below-par. Buckling under pressure from Great British players, Lalremsiami lacked ball holding skills more often than not.
Salima Tete 5/10
Salima Tete was guilty of harsh fouls and even earned a yellow card. The Indian player was found guilty of losing possession and her off-the-ball run is something that the Indian should be working on.
Rest of the team 5/10
Players like Udita, Nikki Pradhan and Sushila Chanu too were found wanting on many occasions by failing to mark Great Britain's players and guilty of not taking clear passes too.
Navjot Kaur was at the receiving end of some harsh tackles but when playing against a top-class team like Great Britain, any slip-up would prove costly, just like how these Indian players discovered.
The Indian defense had a horrid outing and the strikers made it look all the more ordinary. The midfield was left open and Great Britain had more counter attacking opportunities than they should have got.
Overall, it was a tight game. However, the scorecard didn’t suggest just that. There's a lot to ponder on for India as they go back to the drawing board.
