Stern Belgian test awaits Indians

Sreejesh's men will hope to find their rhythm in crucial clash

India will look to put behind a worrying streak of inconsistency when they play Belgium in the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games hockey tournament on Sunday.

Before the start of the tournament, India’s coach Roelant Oltmans had stressed the need for consistency but the team has not been successful in that regard in the five matches they have played so far.

The Indians qualified as the fourth team in Pool B, after winning two games – against Ireland and Argentina. They played well against Germany and the Netherlands, suffering narrow defeats but the 2-2 draw against Canada in the final pool game had Oltmans fuming.

The coach urged the Indians to use their brains, and not get excited after scoring a goal. “When you score a goal, you should not get overexcited but just stick to your structure and wait for the next opportunity,” he said.

Belgium, in great form, had topped Pool A where the fancied Aussies took a couple of stunning blows and just managed to squeak through. They will be up against the Netherlands in what should be a cracker of a quarterfinal. The other two quarters feature Germany, the Pool B toppers, against New Zealand and Spain versus Argentina.

Strong all around, Belgium have troubled India in the recent past but the eight-time champions did have an encouraging win against the Europeans in the Champions Trophy last year, a 4-2 verdict, at Bhubaneshwar.

“Our first target was to achieve the quarters, and we have done that,” Indian captain P R Sreejesh said about their stuttering campaign. He expected his team to raise their play in the knockout game. “The level of our play will certainly match up against the Belgians.

Though we have come out of the London debacle (wh­e­re the team finished last), we need to move up further and this is a great opportunity for us,” the ’keeper said.

India have not created as many chances in open play as they would have liked while the penalty corners did not come to the team’s rescue, especially in the game against the Netherlands. The old woe of conceding late goals has also bothered them here.

Oltmans conceded India still have to improve. “We still have to work on certain areas,” he admitted on Friday. Oltmans and Sreejesh will also be worried about the number of cards the Indians have been racking up, hampering their play.

“This is a serious issue for us,” admitted Sreejesh. “This could hurt us at a crucial juncture. We have been talking to the boys to play in a composed way,” added the Indian captain.

India will need more such shows to inspire them as they seek a place in the last four and a place among the elite of world hockey.

Meannwhile, S V Sunil, who had suffered a hand injury after crashing into the advertising hoarding in the Canada match, has been cleared to play.