Reliving those 6 seconds: Indian hockey players describe Tokyo Triumph

It was exactly three years back when the Indian men's hockey team restored the lost glory of Indian hockey, albeit partially.

Led by Manpreet Singh, the Indian men's team defeated Germany 5-4 in a thriller to clinch the bronze medal and end the Olympic medal drought for Indian hockey.

To put it in context, India's last medal before the Tokyo Olympics came in 1980 when Vasudev Bhaskaran led the Indian team to win the gold medal at the Moscow Olympics.

The bronze medal win meant the world to the Indian hockey romantics who have endured only heartbreaks for more than four decades.

More than anyone, the players on the pitch found it tough to control their emotions and burst into tears with the then-coach Graham Reid also turning emotional.

It was a rollercoaster of the game with Germany taking the lead in the second minute.

India equalized via a field goal from Simranjeet Singh in the 10th minute.

Germany scored two more goals to make it 3-1 but India replied with two consecutive goals from Hardik Singh and Harmanpreet Singh to make it 3-3 before halftime.

After the half time, Rupinder Pal Singh scored the penalty stroke in the 31st minute to make it 4-3 and Simranjeet Singh followed it up with a field goal three minutes later to make it 5-3.

Germany scored from a penalty corner in the 48th minute to make it 4-5 but the Indian team held on to the lead in the dying minutes with PR Sreejesh making a big save with five seconds to go on the clock.

Two members of that bronze medal-winning team, midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad and forward Gurjant Singh sat down with The Bridge to describe the last few moments of the game.

Here are the excerpts from the conversation:

Q: Where were you in those last six seconds?

Vivek: I was stationed at the center line as Germany was taking the penalty corner. My first thought was that I would move as fast as possible and enter the D if the ball was saved. That was my only target because I wanted to clear the ball as soon as it came to the D.

Gurjant: I don't remember where exactly I was but I was just looking at our defense at that moment.

Q: What were you thinking in those last six seconds?

Vivek: Apart from thinking about the clearance, I was thinking that Amit bhai is one of the first rushers and he will take the left side. So, the German team has less chance of scoring the goal from the left side. That is what was going through my head.

Gurjant: I was thinking about how we could have avoided that last-second penalty corner. I knew that we were not going to lose and if they scored the match would go to a shootout. I was thinking about that and not defeat.

Q: How did you feel after winning the medal?

Vivek: It was an exciting feeling to stand on the podium and I was waiting for my turn to get on the podium.

Gurjant: I was numb. When I came back to my room and sat alone, that is when I felt the gravity of that occasion. It was beautiful wearing that medal in the ceremony in the evening. But the real feeling came when we returned to India. The love we received here made me feel that we had done something big.

While it was a historic moment for the Indian men's hockey team in Tokyo, it can be more grand as the Indian team plays Germany in the semi-finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics tomorrow.