India at Tokyo Olympics LIVE: India Women’s hockey team makes it to quarter-finals for the first time in history- India women’s hockey team scripted history on Saturday as Rani Rampal and Co. made it to the knockout stages for the first time in history. Team India had won their final Pool A game against South Africa to stay in contention for a knockout spot and needed Great Britain to defeat Ireland to ensure qualification. Britain won 2-0, setting up India’s quarter-final clash with Australia.
Team India qualified for the Olympics quarterfinals for the first time ever having clinched wins in their final two league games to create history. Having suffered defeats in their first three games, Rani Rampal and Co. bounced back to clinch wins over Ireland and South Africa, to leapfrog the former into the knockouts. This is India women’s hockey team’s only third appearance at the Olympics. The Indian eves had made it to the 1980 Olympics in Moscow for the first time, where they finished fourth. After a 36-year wait, they returned to the big stage in Rio 2016, but failed to win any games and crashed out in the group stage.
Intezaar ki ghadiyan khatam! ⏳
The Indian Women’s Hockey Team advance to the Quarter-Finals of #Tokyo2020.#HaiTayyar #IndiaKaGame #TeamIndia #TokyoTogether #StrongerTogether #HockeyInvites #WeAreTeamIndia #Hockey pic.twitter.com/IlEeoBO2QD
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) July 31, 2021
However, the story at the Tokyo Olympics was different as Rani Rampal and her side held their nerve and made a huge step forward. Team India needed to win their final two games to qualify and did so with a 1-0 win over Ireland, with Navneet Kaur scoring a decisive goal. Against South Africa, the Indian eves were much more dominant, clinching a 4-3 win, with Vandana Katariya scoring a scintillating hat-trick.
