Overwhelmed by emotion after leading India to its first Olympics hockey medal in 41 years, skipper Manpreet Singh dedicated the historic triumph to the country's doctors and health-care workers who have worked tirelessly to save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former India coach Anil Kumble is in the running for the Coach of the Year award in the inaugural edition of the Indian Sports Honours, instituted by the RP-SG Group in association with the foundation of skipper Virat Kohli.
Indian defence crumbled under the onslaught of a rampaging Australia as they were handed a 1-5 thrashing by the world champions in their second league fixture of the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia on Thursday. Australia, the eight-time winners of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, launched their campaign to reclaim the title they lost to New Zealand last year with a dominant performance against the Indian side seeking to provide exposure to several youngsters. Blake Govers (fifth minute), Jacob Whetton (13th), Eddie Okkenden (20th), Simon Orchard (25th) and Matt Ghodes (53rd) scored for Australia, who have brought virtually their full-strength squad to prepare for the Olympic Games. India's lone goal came through a penalty corner conversion by Rupinder Pal Singh in the eighth minute. This was Australia first outing in the round-robin league, while India prevailed 2-1 over Japan on Wednesday in an unimpressive campaign opener.
Ace midfielder Sardar Singh will lead a full strength Indian men's hockey team in the 24th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup to be held in Ipoh, Malaysia from April 5 to 12.
Locked inside the Sports Authority of India centre in Bengaluru due to the coronavirus forced restrictions, Indian Hockey players are utilising their free time to hone their English language skills, reading books and watching their favourite movies. The Indian men and women hockey teams are practicing at SAI centre Bengaluru where no unauthorised person can enter the campus.
The hosts will face arch-rivals Pakistan for a place in the final, the latter scoring 4-2 upset win over eight-time champions The Netherlands earlier in the day.
Brushing aside the disappointing show against Argentina in the tournament opener, hosts India produced a much-improved performance as they held Olympic champions Germany to a 1-1 draw in their second Pool B match of the Hockey World League (HWL) Final.
'Our consistency under pressure will be tested to the maximum at Paris.'
India put up a dominating performance to beat Malaysia 4-1 in the bronze medal play-off match on Sunday and finish at third position in the Four Nations Invitational Tournament in Melbourne.
After a goalless opening two quarters, Nick Ross broke the deadlock for New Zealand in the 41st minute. But the hosts' joy was short lived as India equalised two minutes later through a field goal from SV Sunil (43rd).
India's captain Manpreet Singh and star custodian P R Sreejesh said the team needs to put aside the disappointment of losing to Belgium in the semi-finals and refocus for the bronze medal play-off on Thursday.
With all hopes of making it to the final erased, a misfiring India had to toil to get the better of lowly Canada 5-3 and register their first victory in the 24th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament, in Ipoh, Malaysia, on Thursday.
India staged a grand recovery to defeat England 4-3 and take the top spot in Pool B of the men's hockey tournament at the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday. England finished second.
The Indian men's hockey team will have to guard against complacency when it takes on lower-ranked Russia, while a tricky contest awaits their female counterparts against United States in the two-legged Olympic qualifiers.
Captain Manpreet Singh and goalkeeper P R Sreejesh are among a few senior India players rested for next month's Olympic hockey test event in Tokyo. Besides Manpreet and Sreejesh, defender Surender Kumar was also rested.
Top-ranked India were held to a 1-1 draw by the brisk-moving South Koreans in the round-robin league encounter of the fourth Asian Champions Trophy hockey, in Kuantan, Malaysia, on Saturday.
Delhi Waveriders' winless streak continued as they lost 2-3 to defending champions Jaypee Punjab Warriors to slump to their third defeat in the fifth edition of the Hockey India League, in New Delhi on Tuesday.
In a nerve-wracking contest, India beat Pakistan in penalty-shootout to clinch the coveted hockey gold at the Asian Games in Incheon on Thursday. This triumph ensures the Indian hockey team a berth at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
India's defence crumbled in the bronze medal playoff as they crashed to a 1-5 defeat against Great Britain for a fourth-place finish at the World League Semifinals in Antwerp.
India eked out a hard-fought 2-0 win over lower-ranked China to progress to the semi-finals of the men's hockey competition at the 17th Asian Games on Saturday.
'No opponent takes us lightly anymore and they talk about us as a team that does well in knockouts' 'We not only focus on improving individually but also encourage each other and tell ourselves that we need to perform as a unit to leave a mark at the Olympics this time'
India will next play mighty Australia on Sunday.
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.
Defender Gurinder Singh, midfielders Sumit and Manpreet who were part of the Junior World Cup-winning squad are slated to make their debut at the tournament.
The two-time Olympian (2012 and 2016), from Somwarpet in Coorg, was a key player in the Indian forward line for over a decade with fine performances.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to eminent sports personalities, the country was wholesome in its praise for the Indian hockey team after it clinched the Asian Champion Trophy by beating arch-rivals Pakistan in the finals at Kuantan, Malaysia on Sunday. Favourites India prevailed 3-2 over Pakistan to reclaim the trophy and present a perfect Diwali gift to the nation. PM Modi wrote on his twitter handle, "Very proud of our hockey team. Congratulations on winning the Asian Champions Trophy."
The Virat Kohl-led Indian cricket team shared a video message from the West Indies while other top sportspersons like MC Mary Kom, Sushil Kumar, Saina Nehwal and Sakshi Malik, as well as Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, greeted the fellow citizens through Twitter.
The Indian men's hockey team's habit of conceding late goals continued to haunt them as reigning double Olympic champions Germany scored seconds from the final hooter to steal a 2-1 victory in a thrilling Pool B match at the Rio Olympics on Monday.
Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh starred in front of the goal to help India beat South Korea via the penalty shootout to enter the final of the fourth Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament, in Kuantan, Malaysia on Saturday.
"The Hockey India League made a big difference. It played an important role in the re-development of hockey in India," he said.
Akashdeep Singh scored two goals in the space of three minutes to set up India's 3-2 victory over Malaysia in the men's hockey World Cup in the Hague on Saturday.
Favourites India prevailed 3-2 over arch-rivals Pakistan to reclaim the Asian Champions Trophy hockey, presenting a perfect Diwali gift to the nation in Kuantan, Malaysia on Sunday. Goals from Rupinder Pal Singh (18th minute), Yousuf Affan (23rd) and Nikkin Thimmaiah (51st) helped India surmount the challenge from Pakistan, who rallied from two goals behind through strikes by Muhammad Aleem Bilal (26th) and Ali Shaan (38th) in the title clash of the fourth edition of tournament. This was the first time the teams were meeting in the final of a continental tournament since India dethroned Pakistan as the Asian Games champions in Incheon, South Korea in 2014.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
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.
Overall, the record stands 1-1 between the two sides as Pakistan had the last laugh in the 2006 Games in Melbourne.
India produced a spirited performance to beat Korea 4-1 in the penalty shoot-out after both the teams were locked at 2-2.
Indian hockey captain PR Sreejesh, who played a pivotal role in his side's 2-1 win over Argentina at the Rio Olympics, said it's his job to "give life" to the team in the dying moments of a match. Leading 2-0 with Chinglensana Singh and Kothajit Singh's strikes in the first three quarters, India survived a final-quarter onslaught from Argentina for a nail-biting win to virtually secure a quarterfinal berth at the men's hockey competition.
'The level we played in Champions Trophy will not be enough for the Olympics if we are vying for a medal'
Pakistan Hockey Federation secretary Rana Mujahid is "frustrated" that the national sport is struggling to lure sponsors due to lack of international success in recent years and felt the scene was much better in India.
