Quarters berth sealed, Indian men's hockey team set for first real test against Belgium

Paris: Assured of a quarterfinal berth, India will aim for consistency when they take on reigning champions Belgium in their tough penultimate Pool B match of the Olympic Games here on Thursday.

The Red Lions are leading Pool B with three wins from as many matches, while the Indians are a rung below in the second place with two wins and a draw.

Mighty Australia are placed third with seven points from two wins and a loss. Argentina have also qualified for the quarterfinals with four points from three games, which includes a win, a draw and a loss.

New Zealand and Ireland are out of the race after suffering three consecutive losses. Only the top four can make the last-eight stage cut.

The Indians started their campaign on a shaky note with a close 3-2 win over New Zealand and then scored a last-minute goal to salvage a draw against former champions Argentina.

But against Ireland, it was a completely different performance from the Indians, at least in the first two quarters. They dominated the possession with one-touch play to score two goals in the first quarter which proved vital in the end.

India skipper Harmanpreet Singh once again rose to the occasion, first converting a penalty stroke and then finding the net from a set piece in the second quarter to hand his side the win.

The Indian mid-field, led by veteran and four-time Olympian Manpreet Singh and vice-captain Hardik Singh, also brought their A game to the table, creating several chances for the forward-line.

The likes of Mandeep Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh and Sukhjeet Singh sparkled upfront by keeping the pressure on the opposition defence.

Against Ireland on Tuesday, India opted for one-to-one short passes to build their attacks, instead of going for aerial balls.

Right-back Jarmanpreet Singh has been a revelation in the tournament so far and was omnipresent, be it in defence or creating chances from flanks.

Another player who deserves credit is Amit Rohidas, who produced a rock solid performance at the back. He defended the penalty corners brilliantly being the first rusher and from one-on-one situations.

But it is India's wall, goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who is living up to his reputation in his Olympic swansong. He made multiple good saves against Ireland in the last two quarters to hand his side the win.

After Belgium, India will end their pool engagements against nemesis Australia on Friday.