Rio Olympics 2016 Hockey: Win vs Argentina Reflects India's Mental Toughness

The 2-1 win against Argentina on Tuesday was a signature of the mental toughness of the men's hockey team competing in Rio Olympics 2016. To quickly forget the pains of a last-minute defeat against Germany and then recover to get the better of a tough South American team spoke well of a young team hungry to do well in an Olympics.

India, on merit, should be among the four teams to qualify for the quarterfinals from Pool B. But that the team, under PR Sreejesh and head coach Roelant Oltmans, is taking nothing for granted was evident soon after the Argentina match ended.

That there is long way to go for a medal was the message that was sent out to everyone in the team huddle. Eight-time Olympic champions India last won a medal (gold) in Moscow in 1980. London 2012 was one of the lowest moments in the history of Indian hockey.

Horrible Memories of London 2012

Sreejesh, Sardar Singh, SV Sunil, Raghunath and Manpreet are chip of that old block that saw India's horrible outing at London. With reports of players feigning injury and even refusing to play, coach Michael Nobbs simply failed to inspire the team. After six straight losses, India finished last among 12 nations.

This Indian team look very different. Eager to play hard and to their potential, India have looked good tactically. The biggest worry about conceding late goal though remain. India conceded late goals against Ireland and then Germany punished them with less than 30 seconds left.

India, now third in the pool behind Germany and the Netherlands, will play the Dutch on Thursday (6:30 PM IST). Netherlands will be on a high after their 7-0 win against Canada on Tuesday.

India's inspirational goalkeeper and skipper Sreejesh, who has had a mixed outing so far, says his team is confident to go all the way in Rio.

"The team has gradually improved from where we started. The opening match with Ireland was tough with a close win. But the second match against Germany was totally different," said Sreejesh.

"We had improved considerably from the first match though we did not score as many goals. In the third match, we scored and also played well in all the areas.

"I can see the consistency in the team and the way we are performing is instilling confidence in every player. If we keep up this momentum, then definitely I feel we can do wonders," the 28-year-old said.

Dutch challenge test of India's readiness

India play Canada in their last match on Friday. But the game against world No. 2 Dutch will be another tough test of their preparedness.

"Netherlands are one of the top ranked teams in the world and a win against them will give us more confidence. It's important we keep up the rhythm.

"They have an experienced line-up and to do well against them means we need to be extremely well-prepared both mentally and physically," said Sreejesh.

The mental-physical coordination will be key going forward. Tough matches will only help India prepare better for the knockout rounds.