Indian Men’s and Women’s Hockey teams aim for a better show

The Indian Men’s and Women’s Hockey teams following a mixed outing at the end of the Antwerp stage  of FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 that was held between 22nd to 26th May recently,  will be optimistic of a better outing in the  London stage of the competition  which also serves as a qualifier for the Hockey World Cup and the Olympic Games that is  slated to be from 1st to 9th June where they will take on the host Great Britain and Germany in a double leg mini-tournament.

Early the Men’s Team and Women’s Team who played against Argentina and Belgium in Antwerp, Belgium were placed 3rd and 7th in the points table.

The Indian Men’s and Women’s Hockey teams have four matches remaining in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24. They will battle against Germany on the 1st and 8th June and against Great Britain on 2nd and 9th June in a bid to end their campaign with as many points as possible in their remaining four matches. After the Antwerp stage, the Women’s Team is placed 7th while the Men’s Team is 3rd in the points table.

As per  the organizers the International Hockey Federation (FIH), the Indian Men’s Hockey Team has now amassed 21 points from 12 matches, while their opponents Germany and Great Britain sit in 6th and 9th position respectively, having played only 4 matches in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 so far. In the Antwerp stage, India started with a 2-2 (5-4 SO) shootout win against Argentina, followed by a 1-4 loss to Belgium, and a 2-2 (1-3 SO) shootout loss against Belgium before defeating Argentina in a thrilling match which ended 5-4.

Reflecting on the team’s performance so far ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024, Captain Harmanpreet Singh said, “We played some intense matches against Argentina and Belgium in Antwerp, both in the same pool as us in the Paris 2024 Olympics. We played scintillating hockey in some moments while we struggled in a few others, but the team is constantly improving. We also used this opportunity to give some match experience to the younger players in the squad and improve our overall chemistry.”

The Indian defender and penalty corner specialist Harmanpreet further added, “The aim in these upcoming matches will be to get out of our blocks early, work on our combinations and positioning to make sure we play to the best of our abilities against  Germany and Great Britain”

The Indian Women’s Hockey Team which is now placed 7th after earning 8 points from 12 matches, while their opponents Germany and Great Britain sit in 6th and 8th position respectively, having played 4 matches in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 so far.  In the Antwerp stage, India kicked off their campaign with a 0-5 loss against last edition’s runner-up team  Argentina, followed by a 0-2  loss to Belgium, and a 1-2 narrow loss against the same rivals before losing once again to Argentina in a thrilling match 0-3.

Speaking about the upcoming games, Indian Women’s Hockey Team  newly appointed Captain Salima Tete said, “We are currently in a rebuilding phase, and we are looking to take it one game at a time. We are confident that the upcoming games will help us better understand our chemistry within the team and improve going forward.”

The Indian Men's Hockey Team will take on Germany at 1430hrs IST while the Indian Women's Hockey Team will face Germany at 2145hrs IST.

Photo above : Indian Men’s Hockey Captain Harmanpreet Singh who scored a hat-trick in a thrilling match against Argentina will hope his team’s good show against Germany and Great Britain in the remaining four matches of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 ahead of Paris Olympics 2024