Spin bowling and its "dynamic" batting line-up will be key to India's success in the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, while a top-two finish is highly unlikely for struggling Australia, feels former Oz leg-spinner Stuart MacGill.
The T20 World Cup in the US is a 'landmark event' and there is huge excitement among the diaspora as well as across America, said Consul General of India in New York Binaya Srikanta Pradhan.
Former captain Sardar Singh has been included in a 13-member Hockey India selection committee, to be headed by B P Govinda, a member of the 1975 World Cup winning team.
'If we want to ensure this isn't a once-in-four-decade phenomenon, then we have to produce 1,800 players all the time, create infrastructure, so that we are constantly challenging at the top of the ladder.'
'Indian hockey will lose out on one of its most important nurseries of good hockey talent.'
Rising political tension has adversely affected the bilateral sporting ties between India and Pakistan but newly-elected FIH chief Narinder Batra on Saturday said the two nations will have to honour their international commitments. The tension at the border has cast a shadow over Pakistan's participation in the next month's FIH Junior World Cup in Lucknow but Batra's comments make it clear that the two neighbours are set to clash against each other on Indian soil.
India were made to toil hard by the world No 2 Australia before eventually losing the match in a close encounter.
A 21-member Indian men's hockey team will embark on a 15-day tour of Europe, starting July 31. High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans will take over as the chief coach of the side following the unceremonious ouster of Paul Van Ass.
IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley and renowned media personality Rajat Sharma have been named as board members of the high-profile Hockey India League (HIL), which will be held across the country early next year.
India's defence held its ground against desperate Great Britain as they clinched a 2-1 victory in the 36th Champions Trophy in London on Saturday. The victory puts India at the top of the league standings with four points. Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh stood his ground against a number of shots at the goal, four of them on penalty corners, as India made use of a breakaway opportunity created by right winger SV Sunil and their defenders covered the angles well to emerge victorious. Playing deep inside their own territory in the first quarter against early British raids, India scored through Mandeep Singh on their first raid by Sunil in the 17th minute.
The 27-year-old said the Indian team's immediate focus is the FIH Hockey Pro League beginning next month.
Hosts Karnataka and Jharkhand entered into the quarter-finals of second Hockey India Senior Men National Championship with emphatic victories in their respective last league matches in Bangalore on Saturday.
Meet India's top athletes at Olympics 2024.
For Indian hockey, 2016 was a year in which much was promised and achieved as well. It was also a year where India made significant and visible advancements but deep down somewhere the pain of missing out on an Olympic medal will remain for four more years.
India's third-place finish at the Hockey World League Finals is a timely reminder of the improvement the team has made under Oltmans. But one must not get carried away.
India's men's hockey team slumped to its second defeat in the FIH Pro League, beaten 3-5 by Spain in the second match of their two-legged tie, at the Kalinga stadium, in Bhubaneswar, on Sunday.
Having made the cut for the 18-member squad for the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, the Indian men's hockey team forward Gurjant Singh is looking to make an impact with his skills.
Men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh on Saturday admitted India will have to focus on conceding fewer goals from the touchline and create more scoring opportunities.
New Zealand pulled off the biggest surprise of the ongoing World League Semifinals with a 2-0 win over World Cup silver medalists Australia in the women's preliminary league in Antwerp.
Ashley Jackson's late goal helped Ranchi Rhinos beat Delhi Waveriders 1-0 in their second outing in the Hockey India League match.
India hockey captain P R Sreejesh on Tuesday dedicated the Asian Championship Trophy triumph to the Indian soldiers martyred in the Uri attack and their families, saying it's a Diwali gift to those who lost their lives while safeguarding the country.
Marinje also said the Indian women's team need more competitions to improve levels and win an Olympic medal.
The police would soon be approaching the 28-year-old to join the probe
The Indian men's hockey team's biggest gain this year was the emergence of some talented fresh faces.
Young striker Nikkin Thimmaiah scored a hat-trick as India produced their best performance of the tournament to stun world champions and title holders Australia 4-2 on Saturday and secure a place in the third and fourth place play-off at the Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia.
Dismissing threats of a possible ban by Hockey India on local players participating in the World Series Hockey (WSH), the organisers of the multi-million dollar tournament on Monday declared that all those who have signed up will certainly play in the upcoming event.
Indian hockey team skipper Sardar Singh has asked the Pakistan players to apologise for their 'unacceptable' behaviour during the Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar in December 2014, backing Hockey India's stand of not allowing the stars from across the border to play in HIL. "Pakistani players are suffering a lot but what they did during the 2014 Champions Trophy was unacceptable. They still haven't apologised for their behaviour so I feel they shouldn't be allowed (to participate in HIL)," Sardar said on the sidelines of the unveiling of Hockey India League on Thursday.
Defending champions Haryana rallied from a goal deficit to beat Bhopal 2-1 in their opening Group A league game in the 2nd Hockey India National Championship for Senior Men in Bangalore on Sunday.
While India's money-spinning cricket league lavishes million-dollar deals on players for just a few weeks of competition, the national ice hockey team has had to go begging on social media to fund their trip to Kuwait for an international tournament.
The Mumbai Magicians team, which is part of the Hockey India League, was shifted to Delhi on Monday, following the Shiv Sena protest that disrupted its practice session due to the involvement of Pakistani players.
India dished out a lackluster performance to go down 0-3 to Argentina in the opening match of the Hockey World League (HWL) Final in front of a packed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium in Raipur on Friday.
Hockey: India v Australia, QF
India finished third in the 100th anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation international tournament in Terrassa. The team beat reigning FIH Pro League champions Netherlands 2-1 in the third-fourth play-off match on Sunday.
However, with the Asian Games now postponed to next year owing to the COVID-19 situation in China, HI decided to pick a strong team for the prestigious event, scheduled to begin from July 28.
India will face Great Britain in the quarter-finals on Thursday after the British drew 3-3 with Belgium to top Pool A in the Hockey World League (HWL) Final at the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Stadium in Raipur on Tuesday.
Coach Harendra defends junior players' selection for World Cup
India's men's hockey team chief coach Graham Reid has told his players to keep their emotions in check and avoid cards against a strong opponent like Belgium in the Tokyo Olympics semi-finals on Tuesday.
India had topped the five-team league standings with three wins and one draw
Germany were held to frustrating goalless draw by the Netherlands in the Hockey World League (HWL) Final in Raipur on Friday.
Three years after he resigned as national women's hockey coach on charges of sexual harassment only to be absolved later, Maharaj Krishan Kaushik feels vindicated after Hockey India nominated him to assist Indian men's team coach Michael Nobbs till the 2016 Rio Olympics.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances