As the dejected Indian players made their way out of the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Astro Turf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi, the journalists were geared up to ask a volley of tough questions. Some of them were about the penalty corners missed.
One of the few Indian players, who stopped by to take questions was Deepika, India’s drag-flicker. There were tears in her eyes, as she mumbled some incoherent words before disappearing into the players’ room. That little conversation capsulised India’s sorry tale against Japan as they failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics from the FIH Olympic Qualifiers.
In the all-important third-fourth place game, India were listless. The left flank was hardly used. The players struggled to trap the ball. In perhaps desperation, India resorted to long-distance passing, which isn’t one of their strengths. More importantly, India wasted nine penalty corner opportunities. They had about 55 per cent of the possession, but they didn’t utilise it.
Meanwhile, Japan played within their limitations and executed plans to near-perfection. After Kana Urata scored the goal, Japan were content on defending. They went for their tried and tested method of double-teaming to neutralise the threat of Salima Tete.
Japan also have two fine goalkeepers in Eika Nakamura and Akio Tanaka. Both of them put up noteworthy performances. It was basically bread and butter that scored over exotic dishes. India had the agility and better dribbling skills. It didn’t show in the end.
On the other hand, Japan were very disciplined. It is hard to believe that just over 24 hours ago, the same Indian team had played with vigour and determination versus the formidable Germans. And the European nation had to play out of their skins to eke out a win in the penalty shootout.
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Future of coach Janneke Schopman?
The post-mortem surrounding the shoddy show would soon begin. Janneke Schopman, the head coach, would be under scrutiny. Let’s delve deeper to gauge Schopman’s coaching methods. In the FIH Olympic Qualifiers, instead of directing the players from the sidelines in training, she was actively involved in every practice session. Now, that is a sign of a coach who is committed to the job.
Having said that, Schopman has had her share of setbacks. In 2019, under her tutelage, India beat the USA on the basis of aggregate to book their place in the Tokyo Olympics. Ironically, Rani Rampal, who shattered USA’s dreams with the decisive goal, isn’t on good terms with Schopman and finds herself out of the current set-up. Deep Grace Ekka, another veteran, also has been left out.
Players must take the blame too
But is it right to blame only the coach? Certainly not. Ultimately, it is for the players to implement the strategies. Simply put, it was a collective failure. The gut-wrenching loss to Germany seemed to have taken a lot out of the players. They looked mentally drained while taking on Japan.
Even in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, India were thrashed by China in the semi-final, which somewhere indicates that the players struggle to handle pressure situations. Peter Harberl, the mental conditioning coach, has some work to do.
For the moment, Savita Punia & Co. would be left to ponder what if certain moments had come true! What if India had scored a couple more times in the shootout against Germany? What if India had not made a couple of costly defensive errors in the semi-final?
In the harsh world of sport, however, there is no place for ifs and buts. The final result would show India hurtled to a 0-1 defeat and missed out on securing a spot in the Olympics.
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