India have had to settle for the silver medal in the 36th Champions Trophy in London following a 3-1 penalty shoot-out defeat to Australia.
This however is still India’s best-ever performance at the tournament, having previously won a bronze in 1982 in Amsterdam.
Regulation Time
Just over 24 hours before the Indian team stepped onto the field for the final, they had been defeated 4-2 by the very same Kookaburras in their last round-robin fixture on Thursday night.
The Final however was a different story altogether. Having already made history, qualifying for the final of the tournament for the first time ever, this India looked like a lot had changed in the last 24 hours.
Midfielder Manpreet Singh led the side onto the field and there was belief in their moves. So very evident just 10 minutes into the match, when Australia were awarded their first penalty corner. Sreejesh stepping out to deny the ball that one time, and the next three that followed immediately after.
The scores stayed 0-0 for the entire first quarter, the second, the third and even the fourth as India forced a shoot-out for the title.
The Shoot-out
Only Harmanpreet Singh was able to score for India while SK Uthappa, SV Sunil and Surender Kumar all shot wide off the target in the shootout.
Just four attempts were required from the two teams as Australia had gained a winning 3-1 lead. Aran Zalewski, Daniel Beale and Simon Orchard scored for Australia, while Trent Mitton’s try was blocked by goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh.
There was plenty of drama in the shootout as Beale’s shot was re-taken after he failed to score and sought a video review. The video umpire asked the shot to be taken again, leaving Indian coach Roelant Oltmans fuming on the sidelines.
Since the review took a while, the officials removed the trophies and the spectators from the ground. However, late in the night the decision was made not to overturn the decision.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)