Latest news with #Harmanpreet
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
After six straight losses, India seek a turnaround
NEW DELHI: 'There's a realistic chance to qualify for the World Cup if we stick to the plan in the Pro League,' India vice-captain Hardik Singh had said just before departing for Europe for the second half of the FIH Pro League late last month. The Indian men's hokcey team's six successive losses have seen them just about avoid a last-place finish, which would have relegated them to the lower tier FIH Nations Cup. (Hockey India) The two-time Olympic bronze medallist was quite confident. And why wouldn't he be. The Indian men's hockey team was placed third after the home leg of the elite nine-nation tournament with five wins in eight games. They had beaten the likes of reigning world champions Germany and the feisty England and needed a decent run to make the cut for the 2026 FIH World Cup. With Olympic champions Netherlands and Belgium having already qualified as hosts and Australia making the cut as last edition's Pro League champions, the Harmanpreet Singh-led outfit needed to finish fourth to qualify for the World Cup. But all hell broke loose in Europe. From being in a position to qualify for the World Cup, six successive losses have seen the Craig Fulton-coached side just about avoid a last-place finish, which would have relegated them to the lower tier FIH Nations Cup. With two matches to go against Belgium, India are placed eighth and Ireland ninth in the Pro League table. It wasn't as if that India didn't fight or did not score goals or crumbled under pressure. In the two matches against hosts and world No.1 Netherlands, Harmanpreet and company opened the scoring and led the reigning Olympic champions in front of a partisan crowd at Amstelveen's Wagener Stadium — the venue for next year's World Cup. India were also very competitive against world No.6 Argentina and even led against the South American team in the second game. And against defending champions Australia, India were up 2-0 thanks to forward Abhishek's brace only to give away the advantage and lose. In all six games, the common factor in India's losses was conceding goals in the final quarter, a perennial Achilles heel for the Asian champions. While it appeared for some time that India had slowly moved away from conceding late goals, but old habits die hard; they have once again gone back to the old ways. India's forwards have regularly scored and so has the Indian penalty corner (PC) battery but the area where the team has failed is ironically the defence with India chief coach Fulton's main mantra being 'defend to win'. And this despite having experienced players such as skipper Harmanpreet, Amit Rohidas and Sumit as fullbacks. A World Cup berth would have relieved the team management of the stress of having to win and qualify via the Asia Cup, to be held in Rajgir, Bihar, in August-September. Had India qualified through the Pro League — which offered the best chance this time around — the management could have tried multiple combinations and newer players in the continental event. Though India unquestionably is the strongest Asian side, it isn't going to be a cakewalk at the Asia Cup. And if the hosts miss that opportunity too, it will be a game of nerves in the World Cup qualifiers in February-March. And we all know how the Indian team's women counterparts missed the bus for the Paris Olympics early last year. With Ireland assured of the ninth spot, India have escaped the ignominy of relegation and will be hoping to turn the tables against former world and Olympic champions Belgium in the two games on Saturday and Sunday in Antwerp. 'The results have not gone as planned and it's not that we have played badly. It hurts more when you play well but not convert that into desired result,' Hardik said on Friday. 'This is something we will introspect upon, but for now we are focused on the last two matches here. Belgium and India have always shared a healthy rivalry in recent times and both teams bring out the best in each other. Our focus will be on finishing well, ensuring tighter defence and creating chances to score.'
Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Winless Indian men's and women's teams seek positive results after string of losses
Antwerp , Their dream of booking a direct ticket to next year's World Cup crushed after six consecutive losses in the European leg of Pro league, India are now hoping to conclude their campaign on a positive note with wins in their last two matches against Belgium. The Indian men's hockey team will take on world No.3 Belgium in consecutive matches here on Saturday and Sunday. After a good outing in the home leg earlier this year, the Indian men entered the European leg with high hopes, but they had a horrendous outing instead. The losses meant India slipped from third to the eighth and penultimate position in the nine-team standings. The winner of the Pro League will automatically qualify for the World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Belgium and Netherlands. Against Netherlands, India lost 1-2 and 2-3, followed by defeats against Argentina and Australia . It was not that India played badly throughout the European leg, but what cost them dearly was their perennial habit of conceding late goals. The Indian defence crumbled under pressure at late stages, evidence of which was their opponents scoring most of their winners in the last 13 minutes of the match. India's senior players committed elementary mistakes when put under pressure. Harmanpreet has stood tall in defence but the likes of Amit Rohidas and Sumit need to buckle up to support young goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak and Suraj Karkera. The Indian forward line too needs to convert the chances that comes their way. Cheif coach Craig Fulton would also be worried about the team's penalty corner conversion rate, although Harmanpreet scored a few from them. Women's team also struggling ===================== The Indian women's team has suffered four consecutive losses so far in London. They lost 2-3 and 1-2 against Australia, and went down 1-4 and 2-0 to Argentina. However, under chief coach Harendra Singh, the women played fast-paced attacking hockey with sharp passes. But they were found wanting in penalty corner conversions. The women too will play Belgium in back-to-back matches on Saturday and Sunday, and will look for their first win in the European leg. The team is currently placed seventh in the nine-team standings and will end their campaign with consecutive matches against China in Berlin on June 28 and 29.
India Gazette
10-06-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Indian men's team raring to go against Argentina in European Leg of FIH Hockey Pro League
New Delhi [India], June 10 (ANI): The Indian men's hockey team has not had the best start to the European leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024/25 (Men). While the narrow defeats against the Netherlands are now in the past, the team is now preparing for its next challenge against Argentina in Amsterdam. The two teams have faced each other frequently in recent years, and India holds a favourable record against Argentina. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, the sides played out an entertaining draw. However, in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 (Men), India defeated Argentina twice -- the second win coming via a shootout. Speaking ahead of the upcoming matches, Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh said, as quoted from Hockey India, 'We are aware of the task at hand in the matches against Argentina. The team is working hard every day in training, and we are confident of doing well. Argentina is a strong team, and at this level, no match is easy.' With six matches remaining in the competition, India currently sits fourth on the points table with 15 points. With a spot at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 up for grabs, the Indian Men's Hockey Team is determined to perform well in the remaining fixtures and secure maximum points against tough opponents. Reflecting on the road ahead, Harmanpreet added, 'We are prepared for whatever comes our way. We've prepared well for this tournament and tried various combinations and strategies in the lead-up. We are confident of putting on a strong performance against Argentina.' So far, in the FIH Hockey Pro League (Men), India has never lost a regulation-time match to Argentina. The only defeat came in a shootout in 2022 in Bhubaneswar. With both upcoming fixtures set to be played in Amsterdam, India will aim to maintain its strong record. 'The team has a good track record against Argentina, but we're not taking anything for granted. Those results are in the past -- we need to perform in the present to stay on course for World Cup qualification. The team has been training well, and the coaching staff has been giving us a lot of encouragement. I'm confident we'll deliver strong performances,' Harmanpreet concluded. (ANI)
The Hindu
10-06-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
FIH Progue League hockey: India looks to snap back-to-back losses in clash against Argentina
Smarting from back-to-back defeats, the Indian men's hockey team will look to improve its penalty corner conversions and address the recurring issue of conceding late goals as it aims to bounce back against Argentina in the FIH Pro League in Amstelveen on Wednesday (June 11, 2025). It has been a disappointing start to the European leg for India, as they suffered 1-2 and 2-3 defeats against the Netherlands in the two matches played in Amstelveen. On both occasions, India conceded late goals, allowing the matches to slip away from their hands. Another area of concern has been the penalty corner conversion. India were guilty of squandering several opportunities, managing to convert just one out of the nine penalty corners earned during Monday's match. With six matches still to be played in the competition, India currently occupies fourth in the standings with 15 points. With a spot in next year's World Cup at stake, the Indian team will be determined to put up strong performances in the remaining fixtures. The team is now preparing for its next challenge against Argentina here. 'We are aware of the task at hand in the matches against Argentina. The team is working hard every day in training, and we are confident of doing well. Argentina is a strong team, and at this level, no match is easy,' captain Harmanpreet Singh said. The two teams have faced each other frequently in recent years, and India hold a favourable head-to-head record against Argentina. At the Paris Olympics, the two sides played out an entertaining draw. However, in the Pro League 2023/24, India defeated Argentina twice -- the second win coming via a shootout. "We are prepared for whatever comes our way. We've prepared well for this tournament and tried various combinations and strategies in the lead-up. We are confident of putting on a strong performance against Argentina," Harmanpreet said. India have never lost a regulation-time match to Argentina in the Pro League. The only defeat came in a shootout in 2022 in Bhubaneswar. "The team has a good track record against Argentina, but we're not taking anything for granted. Those results are in the past — we need to perform in the present to stay on course for World Cup qualification," the Indian captain said. "The team has been training well, and the coaching staff has been giving us a lot of encouragement. I'm confident we'll deliver strong performances."
Indian Express
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Hockey, FIH Pro League: Harmanpreet's men push World No 1 Netherlands, a 1-2 defeat will sting
In the final analysis, a close 1-2 defeat against a near full-strength world No 1 side in their own backyard is not the worst result. But the Indian men's hockey team will walk away from their FIH Pro League match against Netherlands at the Wagener Hockey Stadium, Amstelveen with a feeling of 'what if'. What if they played the entire match as well as they did in the first half? What if they had a little more attacking ambition in the second? And what if Harmanpreet Singh – who otherwise had a brilliant match – had not made a mistake in possession? Despite playing three quarters of the 60 minutes rather well, India had nothing to show for it on the Pro League points table – one where they hope to be high enough at the end of this daunting European leg, to earn World Cup qualification early. Harmanpreet's rocket of a drag flick gave India the lead in the 19th minute and they were the much better side till then. But the captain's defensive error and Thijs van Dam's superb finish in the 25th minute brought the Dutch back into the game at halftime. And the hosts' relentless late pressure eventually led to the winner in the 58th minute, with van Dam's remarkable reverse-hit finish breaking India's resolve. 'First match after so long, we did a great job for the first three quarters,' Harmanpreet said after the match. 'But you have to be perfect throughout, till the last minute, we need to keep in mind that defence is our first priority, so we need to improve our structure. With the ball, we are forcing it too much, we need to play with more control.' In the first couple of minutes, India kept the ball well, like coach Craig Fulton hoped to see. A long ball into the circle by Jarmanpreet Singh was beautifully killed-dead by Dilpreet Singh under defensive pressure and it required an expert last-ditch tackle from Jip Janssen to ensure the Indian forward didn't get his shot away. India missed a massive chance to go ahead in the 9th minute. High press from Shilanand Lakra and Dilpreet saw the visitors win the ball back in the Dutch circle, and from a one-on-one situation, Dilpreet couldn't get past a diving Maurits Visser and the Indian let out a cry of anguish. To India's credit, they controlled the middle of the park for a majority of the opening quarter, whether there was a press on or not. But for all the good work, Q1 finished goalless. Q2 was off to a much more open start with great chances for both teams. Floris Middendorp set up Steijn van Heijningen with a sharp pass into the circle that broke the Indian marking but Suraj Karkera was able to pull off a save. India had a chance down the other end too shortly after as Jarmanpreet made his way into the circle from down the right flank, collecting a wonder-pass from deep defence by Harmanpreet but Wisser was equal to the task once more. The breakthrough eventually came from an expected source for India. Dilpreet won the match's first penalty corner and up stepped the captain. With a low inside-out flick of sheer power, Wisser was beaten to his left by Harmanpreet's drag flick. A silly mistake from Sanjay in defence opened the door for the Dutch as they won their first PC of the match with five minutes to go in the half. But Suraj was up for the task to keep Janssen's shot away and the retake broke down from the injection. Another mistake shortly after, however, proved costly. Harmanpreet played himself into trouble just outside India's circle, getting caught in possession by van Heijningen, who fed van Dam. The No 7 cut inside, slipped but still managed to get the shot away while losing his balance. India lost their lead, and their one video review also to go with it. 'It's a soft goal to concede, it's Holland, if you make a mistake they will punish you,' Fulton said at half time. Both coaches spoke about making better decisions on the ball in the opponents' half as an area to improve. The Dutch pressure was starting to increase as van Dam found himself in space a few yards outside India's goal but he was tackled as he tried to turn the defender. India's attacking attempts were now starting to get limited to throwing hopeful long aerial balls into the circle. And then, with less than three minutes to go, came the telling blow. This wasn't necessarily off an Indian mistake but they invited too much pressure on their defence and with the quality that the Dutch possess, that was a recipe for defeat. Van Dam came up with a moment of magic, collecting a deflected ball into the circle, and from an upright position slammed a stunning reverse-hit finish past Suraj. Sometimes a magic moment is all it takes to win. Vinayakk Mohanarangan is Senior Assistant Editor and is based in New Delhi. ... Read More
