India defenders Harmanpreet Singh and Udita stole the show as they emerged as the most costliest players in the auction of Hockey India League.
German hockey captain Moritz Furste knows a thing or two about consistency and he feels the ability to deliver even performances in a series of games is the "little missing piece" in India's admirable resurgence in the last one decade.
The Indian hockey team that won a second successive Olympic bronze for the country here on Thursday featured 11 players, who will come back as two-time medallists from the quadrennial showpiece.
Two goals were scored in the fourth and final quarter as the two sides went all out to secure a winner.
The 2025-26 season of the FIH Hockey Pro League will get underway on December 9 in Argentina and Ireland, with a record 144 matches lined up across 10 host nations.
Hockey India secretary general Narinder Batra confirmed that that they are in look out for a foreign expert to work with Indian goalkeepers on short-term basis.
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.
"The Hockey India League made a big difference. It played an important role in the re-development of hockey in India," he said.
'We haven't won the tournament for a while and the objective is to be No.1 in Asia and we will be pushing hard for the next 10 days.'
In the men's category, Netherlands (2465.707) replaced India (2366.990) in the third place based on their impressive results in the FIH Pro League.
Trailing by two goals, Spain pressed on the accelerator, earning a couple of penalty corners in the final quarter but the Indian defence stood tall in the absence of skipper Harmanpreet Singh, who was rested for the game.
Tamil Nadu Dragons edged past Hyderabad Toofans 4-3 in a shootout after the two teams were locked at 2-2 at the end of regulation time in the Men's Hockey India League. The win propelled Tamil Nadu Dragons to the top of the eight-team standings with 17 points from eight games.
Rajinder made his senior debut in October last year during a two-match series against Germany, where he shone bright and eight months later, he became a key member of the Indian senior team.
Despite the loss, the Tamil Nadu Dragons held on to the top spot in the points table with 17 points from nine games.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday.
Jurgaj Singh's brace propelled the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers to a sensational 5-3 comeback win against the Vedanta Kalinga Lancers in the Hockey India League.
Pro League: India women suffer second straight loss to Belgium
The 33-year-old midfielder from Punjab, a place synonymous with Indian hockey folklore, now stands as the second-highest capped Indian men's player of all time, behind only former Captain and current Hockey India President Dr. Dilip Tirkey (412 caps).
The Government of India is set to appoint Hockey India's Director High Performance Roelant Oltmans as Chief Coordinator and High Performance Director for Indian Hockey.
India's other gold medals came in 1966 and 1998, both times in Bangkok.
India go down to Germany 1-7 in Four-Nation junior hockey
Ace dragflicker Harmanpreet Singh scored a hat-trick as the Indian men's hockey team eked out a narrow 4-3 win over England in the second match of the double-leg FIH Pro League tie in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.
He expects the players to maintain intensity throughout a match and not just in patches.
'Our consistency under pressure will be tested to the maximum at Paris.'
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday.
The Indian men's hockey team jumped two places to occupy sixth place in the latest International Hockey Federation (FIH) rankings on the back of its good showing in the Hockey World League Semi-Finals.
India continued their dominance over Ireland, defeating the visitors 4-0 in their return leg men's FIH Pro League match.
Indian men beat Argentina 5-4 in shootout of FIH Pro League
India had earlier lost 1-2 against the Netherlands on Saturday.
Sloppy defending cost the Indian men's hockey team dearly as it went down 3-4 to Argentina
Hockey India wants Paddy Upton to develop in the men's team players an unshakable resolve and toughness that does not crumble under pressure.
Indian junior women's hockey team goes down against Germany
Liam Henderson emerged as the costliest player at the Hero Hockey India League (HIL) men's mini auction on Thursday with Vedanta Kalinga Lancers securing the services of the Australian defender for Rs 42 lakh (Rs 4.2 million)
Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers emerged victorious in the men's Hockey India League, securing the title with a thrilling 4-3 win over Hyderabad Toofans in the summit clash.
Indian men's hockey team leaves for Mike Horn's base in Switzerland ahead of Paris Olympics
India take on Korea in their last Asian Games men's hockey league match.
Sachin Tendulkar marvelled at India's rise in newer disciplines, while Abhinav Bindra paid tribute to all those who "silently carry the athletes forward" as the two icons offered their views on India's sporting growth on National Sports Day.
India's junior men's hockey team came back strongly in the ongoing 5th Sultan of Johor Cup as they defeated Argentina 3-2 in the third league match in Johor Bahru on Wednesday.
The Indian men's hockey team, which ended a 41-year medal drought by clinching a bronze medal in Tokyo, rose to 3rd in the International Hockey Federation (FIH) World Rankings, behind Belgium and Australia, respectively.
They weren't up for a windfall even after the trophy but life was certain to get a lot better as some sponsors and state governments stepped up to lift them financially.
