Every time adrenaline gushes through Harmanpreet's forearms to send those drag-flicks whizzing past defenders and bring the opponent post crashing down in Paris, mind goes back to the January evening of 2023 in Bhubaneswar. A dejected India skipper, carrying the nation's hopes on his penalty-corner skills, appeared clueless. The ball almost refused to roll up his stick on those flicks.
The New Zealanders sent India out of the World Cup. It was not even the quarterfinal. Dream dusted in the crossovers, a desperate D-top flick by Harmanpreet during one-on-one shootout against the Kiwi custodian defined the tournament for India and its skipper.
