Tokyo 2020 Quarterfinals, IND vs GBR Hockey LIVE: India takes on Great Britain

Welcome to Sportstar's live coverage of Indian men's hockey team's Tokyo 2020 quarterfinal game against Great Britain. This is Dominic Richard taking you through the action as it unfurls at the Oi Hockey Stadium.

LIVE UPDATES:

3' PENALTY CORNER FOR GBR! Samuel Ward comes up with the drag flick. He has a shot on target, but the Indian players regain possession.

1' EARLY CHANCE FOR INDIA! Nilakanta Sharma released Mandeep Singh up front. But too many Great Britain defenders surrounded the Indian forward and he gave away a free-hit.

AND THE MATCH BEGINS!

The players from both teams are out on the field, and it is time for the national anthems, which will be followed by the toss in the middle.

The team lineups are out!

INDIA XI: PR Sreejesh (GK), Rupinder Pal Singh, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Manpreet Singh (C), Hardik Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Dilpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Sumit.

COACH - Graham Reid.

GREAT BRITAIN XI: Adam Dixon (C), David Ames, Sam Ward, Zach Wallace, Ollie Payne (GK), Liam Ansell, Brendan Creed, James Gall, Phil Roper, Tom Sorsby, Jack Waller.

COACH - Danny Kerry.

“Los Angeles was a huge challenge,” recalled Mervyn Fernandes, member of the 1980 Olympic gold medal-winning Indian men's team. According to him, India’s style of play - four forwards - meant there was pressure to play flexible roles. “For the first time ever, we played total hockey, defending and attacking well," he added.

FULL STORY | Mervyn Fernandes: ‘India has the strength to tame Great Britain’

In case you missed it, Vandana Katariya’s hat-trick inspired the Indian women’s hockey team to a 4-3 win over South Africa in its final Pool A game and propelled the team into the quarterfinals. India's progress to the knockout round was confirmed only after fifth-placed Ireland lost 0-2 to Great Britain and exited the Olympics.

READ MORE | Vandana Katariya hat-trick against South Africa takes India to the quarterfinal

MATCH PREVIEW:

Expectations are high from the Indian men’s hockey team, which takes on Great Britain in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday.

India had lost to eventual silver medallist Belgium in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Rio Games. But this time, the Manpreet Singh-led side, which has improved a lot in the last five years in terms of performance and ranking, is considered a serious contender for a podium finish.

If India gets past Great Britain, it will reach the medal round at the Olympics for the first time in 41 years. The last time India reached the semis was in the 1980 Moscow Games, where it won its eighth gold and the last Olympic medal.

RELATED | Hockey: Australia men's team to face Germany in semis; Argentina, Netherlands eliminated  

The present Indian squad is one of the fittest in the Games and is ranked among the best as far as skills are concerned.

India reached the quarterfinals by recording wins over New Zealand (3-2), Spain (3-0), Argentina (3-1) and Japan (5-3) and finishing second in Pool A with 12 points. Its only loss, a 7-1 drubbing, came in the group stage against Australia.

The biggest positive about India’s performance in the group stage was the way it fought back after suffering a big loss to Australia. The self-belief in the side enabled it to rely on its strengths and secure three consecutive wins to ensure a place in the quarterfinals.

ALSO READ | Vandana Katariya hat-trick against South Africa takes India to the quarterfinal  

India’s hardworking defenders will have to be on their toes -- especially against Britain’s Liam Ansell, who has scored four field goals for his team. Sam Ward will be another threat.

The Manpreet-led midfield must continue its good work to support their colleagues on back and forward lines.

The Indian forwards, including Gurjant Singh and Simranjeet Singh, have performed better as the event has progressed.

Great Britain had two wins against lower-ranked South Africa (3-1) and Canada (3-1). It drew with Belgium (2-2) and Netherlands (2-2) and lost to Germany (5-1) to get eight points and was placed third in Pool B.

Even though India has a better record in its group matches, the knockout stage will be a different ball game.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs):

• At what time will the Indian men's hockey team be in action?
  The hockey game against Great Britain will start today at 5:30 PM IST (9 PM local time).
• Where to watch Indian events at Tokyo Olympics?
  The Sony Sports Network will broadcast Tokyo Olympics live in India.
  
  Sony TEN 3 HD/SD will telecast India events with Hindi commentary while Sony TEN 1 HD/SD and Sony TEN 2 HD/SD will have English commentary.
  
  Live streaming of the events will be available on the SonyLIV and JioTV apps.