Harmanpreet scores twice as India thrash Belgium 5-1 in Pro League hockey match
The International Hockey Federation has confirmed India's withdrawal from its ambitious Pro League, one of FIH's flagship tournaments offering Olympic qualifying berths to the top four teams in both men's and women's events.
Former India hockey captain Manpreet Singh on Friday said he had sought some time away from the sport to rest and spend time with family, dismissing speculation that he was dropped on disciplinary grounds.
Pro League: India women suffer second straight loss to Belgium
India eked out a 4-2 win via penalty over Great Britain in the FIH Hockey Pro League on Saturday.
Alexander Hendrickx struck a brace as Belgium notched up a thrilling 3-2 victory over India in the second match of the two-leg FIH Pro Hockey League tournament in Antwerp on Sunday.
Australia on Friday pulled out of several upcoming FIH tournaments, including the junior men's hockey World Cup slated to be held in India later this year, citing COVID-19 related government travel restrictions.
Mid-fielder Salima Tete on Thursday replaced veteran goalkeeper Savita Punia as captain of the 24-strong Indian women's hockey squad for the Belgium and England legs of the FIH Pro League starting later this month.
Skipper Harmanpreet Singh, who powered India to a second successive bronze medal in hockey at the Olympics in Paris, was on Saturday nominated for the FIH Player of the Year Award.
India beat Germany 3-0 in a dramatic shoot-out to avenge their first leg defeat and share the honours in the two-legged tie of the FIH women's Pro League, at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, on Sunday.
From a side that promised much after a fourth-place finish in the Tokyo Olympics, the Indian women's team has collapsed into a seemingly direction-less outfit.
Sjoerd Marijne said past achievements won't guarantee selection in the Indian women's hockey team, highlighting the importance of fighting for a spot and focusing on upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
India began their Women's Pro League campaign with a thrilling 3-2 victory over England at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium.
Indian women's hockey team chief coach Harendra Singh has resigned from the post with immediate effect citing 'personal reasons'.
Accused of rape under the stringent POCSO act, Arjuna award-winning Indian hockey player Varun Kumar has withdrawn from the FIH Pro League in Bhubaneswar to explore his legal options against the allegation, which he described as a "calculated attempt to extort money" from him.
Both the Indian men's and women's teams will play against Spain on February 26 and 27 in a two-legged tie, followed by matches (both men's and women's) against Germany on March 12 and 13.
India, who are also without three key players in Lalremsiami, Salima Tete and Sharmila Devi from the historic fourth-place finish in the Tokyo Olympics, had won the first match 2-1 on Friday. That win was the first against the Netherlands in over a decade.
Back as chief coach of the Indian women's hockey team after a four-year hiatus, Sjoerd Marijne is focussed on bringing back unity, discipline and culture in the side, with eyes firmly set on creating a group to qualify for 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Pakistan hockey captain Shakeel Ammad Butt has criticized the national federation following a problematic tour of Australia, citing issues with accommodation and team management.
This was India's fourth win in the FIH Pro League.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday.
The 2026 men's hockey World Cup will be held from August 14 to 30 in Wavre, Belgium and Amstelveen, Netherlands.
Indian women's hockey team chief coach Harendra Singh has resigned from the post with immediate effect citing 'personal reasons'.
Vandana Katariya scored from a penalty corner to help the Indian women's hockey team stun world number 3 Australia 1-0 in the FIH Pro League.
After Sunday's win, India remained at second spot in the league standings with 16 points from eight matches, behind Netherlands. Argentina also remained at fourth spot with 11 points from six matches.
In the shoot-out, the hosts won 3-2 to pocket two points (including a bonus) as against England's one.
Goalkeeper P R Sreejesh's heroics saw India pull off a thrilling 8-7 shootout win against Spain.
India are now atop the leaderboard with five points from two games, but the Manpreet Singh-led side conceded a point to the Netherlands after drawing (during the regulation time) the second match of the contest on Sunday.
India's Harmanpreet Singh was crowned as Men's Player Of The Year and his former compatriot PR Sreejesh was named Men's Goalkeeper Of The Year, announced the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Friday.
The Indian men's hockey team produced a lion hearted performance before going down 1-4 to leaders the Netherlands in the penalty shoot-out
India now have registered four wins out of five outings in the FIH Pro League.
Janneke Schopman resigned on Friday, days after creating a furore by claiming that she was not valued
Hockey India chief coach Craig Fulton reportedly threatened to resign after opposing Manpreet Singh's omission from core probables on disciplinary grounds.
'Our preparations for the Commonwealth Games are going on very well. We are working on specific aspects of our game during our training sessions and we are focusing on the learnings from the FIH Hockey Pro League.'
India were made to toil hard by the world No 2 Australia before eventually losing the match in a close encounter.
The FIH Hockey Pro League matches between India and Great Britain, scheduled for May 8-9 in London, were on Wednesday postponed following the UK government's decision to add India to the travel 'red list'.
The 27-year-old said the Indian team's immediate focus is the FIH Hockey Pro League beginning next month.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh (7th and 19th minute; both PCs), Karthi Selvam (17th and 38th), Raj Kumar Pal (31st), Sukhjeet Singh (50th) and Jugraj Singh (53rd) scored for India.
Pakistan opted out of the ongoing Asia Cup in Bihar following the military conflict between the two countries, citing security concerns.
The win confirmed India's berth in the 2023-24 Pro League.
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