Hockey
Tokyo Olympics: Hockey Day 12 — Semi-final — India vs Argentina — Preview, schedule, Live Streaming, when and where to watch
A preview of the women's Semi final of the Field Hockey event at Tokyo Olympics
Indian Women Hockey Team (Source: Hockey India)
The Indian women take on Argentina in the semifinal of the field hockey competition of the Tokyo Olympics.
The South American side is currently ranked second as per the FIH and in stupendous form, as was evident from the manner in which they clinically decimated the Germans by a 3-0 margin in the quarterfinals.
On paper, there seems to be little doubt as to which team will start as the favourites on Wednesday, but the Indian Eves have continued to defy the odds time and again.
On paper, it seemed unlikely that the Indian girls would progress beyond the group stages. On paper, it seemed that there was no way the Indians could get Australia and into an Olympic semifinal.
Yet here they are - in the reckoning for a place on the Olympic podium in Tokyo.
"At this stage of the competition, matches do not get any easier, & we are going to give everything we have on the field."
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) August 3, 2021
Ahead of the historic Semi-Final, #TeamIndia's Captain, Rani says that the team is ready for their toughest test.https://t.co/YLxpgLI0BS#IndiaKaGame
The camaraderie in the ranks is such that the voices of the Indian reserves on the bench ring through loud and clear for the entire sixty minutes as Reena Khokhar, Namita Toppo, and Rajni tell their teammates on the pitch which defenders are shadowing them, when to pass and when to keep going, and how much time there is left on the clock.
India's victory against Australia in the quarterfinal wasn't really about a lower-ranked team somehow pulling off a miracle win. Rani and co. knew exactly what they were supposed to do on the pitch and executed the game plan to perfection, much to the frustration of the Hockeroos.
The Indians, who have now climbed three slots to be ranked as World No 7, looked to be in command for long periods of play and backed themselves to pull off an upset without losing their composure at any stage.
Sjoerd Marijne's team played against Argentina in a series of matches on tour earlier this year but failed to beat the senior women's side, drawing one and losing two games in Cenard, Buenos Aires.
A 0-5 defeat in Rio 2016 and a 0-3 loss against the Los Leones women in the Hockey World League Seminal game in 2017 will do little to deter the current Indian team who are now a world-beating unit.
¡Give me 🖐🏻 @BelenSucci @Agus_Gorze, son semifinalistas olímpicas! 🇦🇷❤ #Tokio2020 pic.twitter.com/TtIZk9bgy9
— ARG Field Hockey (@ArgFieldHockey) August 2, 2021
The Argentinian women, coached by Carlos Retegui, who is also the Head Coach for the Los Leones Men's Team in Tokyo 2020, lost to Australia by a 0-2 margin in the group stages in Tokyo and pulled off narrow wins against Japan and China.
If only the girls continue to play as fearlessly as they did against the Aussies, pretty much anything is possible when the two teams take the field at the Oi Hockey Stadium.
The match begins at 1530 IST on Wednesday, August 4.
Where to watch?
You can catch all the action LIVE in Sony Sports Network channels in India. Here are the details of broadcasters in some more countries:
Japan: The Japan Consortium
USA: NBC Universal
UK: BBC, Eurosport
China: CCTV
Australia: Seven Network
Germany: ARD-ZDF
Brazil: Grupo Globo, Bandsports
Spain: RTVE
Italy: RAI
France: Eurosport
South Africa: SABC
