Shilanand finally made his way back into the national team and on Thursday, not only provided a superb assist but also scored a goal with a lovely deflection in India's 4-1 win over Malaysia in the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup.
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.
The win confirmed India's berth in the 2023-24 Pro League.
India's Raghu Prasad named FIH Male Umpire of the Year 2025
The Netherlands struck the winning goal two minutes from the final whistle through Van Dam Thijs (58th minute), who also scored the equalising goal in the 25th minute.
The FIH Women's Nations Cup is an important fixture in the international calendar as the champions of this tournament will be promoted to the FIH Women's Pro League 2023-2024 season.
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's women's hockey team forward Deepika has been nominated for the Poligras Magic Skill award for her incredible solo field goal against world No.1 the Netherlands during the 2024-25 FIH Hockey Pro League season.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh wants the young Indian hockey players to get familiar with the playing styles of the best teams in the world during the FIH Pro League, and hoped the country would seal a direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup with a title-winning run in Bhubaneswar.
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.
The 23-year-old Salima has been an integral part of the team for a while after being appointed captain last year.
Ace drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh will continue to serve as captain of the team.
Ace drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh will continue to serve as captain of the team.
This was India's second consecutive defeat to the same opponents as they had lost 2-3 on Friday.
Renowned South African mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton, who played a role in India winning the 2011 Cricket World Cup, will be a part of the support staff of the country's men's hockey team in Paris.
Hockey: India seek World Cup berth through Asia Cup triumph; up against China in opener
India had earlier lost 1-2 against the Netherlands on Saturday.
'We have chosen an experienced side for the Commonwealth Games and the players believe they have a good shot at a medal'
The 27-year-old said the Indian team's immediate focus is the FIH Hockey Pro League beginning next month.
Besides Rani's exclusion, there are no further surprises as India went or a tried and tested squad, which has been playing together for a long time.
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.
Sloppy defending cost the Indian men's hockey team dearly as it went down 3-4 to Argentina
For women's hockey goalkeeping stalwart Savita Punia, the Padma Shri is more than a national honour -- it is a quiet acknowledgement of years marked by sacrifice, resilience, and unwavering belief, both her own and that of a family that stood by her when the odds were firmly stacked against her.
Indian women's hockey stalwart Vandana Katariya has retired from international hockey after a 15-year career, stating that she is stepping away at the "zenith" of her career.
A woman accused the India hockey player of sexually abusing her multiple times when she was a minor.
Currently, the hockey players draw salaries from the departments and organisations that they are employed with even though a proposal to have a graded contract system by Hockey India has been in the deliberation stage for past few years.
Savita said the Tokyo Games had instilled a belief that they can match the best in the business on the biggest stage.
India hockey captain Manpreet Singh considers the recent success against reigning Olympic champions Argentina a big confidence-booster, but insists that the team still needs to address some grey areas as it pursues a podium finish at the Summer Games in Tokyo later this year.
The team will begin its campaign on July 27 against New Zealand, followed by matches against Argentina (July 29), Ireland (July 30), Belgium (August 1) and Australia (August 2).
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'.
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.
The Indian men's hockey team ended the Bhubaneswar leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League on a high, securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory over England.
Savita Punia and P R Sreejesh were named FIH Goalkeepers of the Year for the second consecutive year.
The Tokyo Games are scheduled to be held from July 23 to August 8.
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).
Indian men's hockey team leaves for Mike Horn's base in Switzerland ahead of Paris Olympics
Manpreet Singh, the second-most capped player in Indian hockey, has found a second wind by tweaking his lifestyle and diet.
The Indian women's hockey team lost 0-1 to Spain in the return leg match of the FIH Pro League.
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 have won eight Olympic gold medals in the past, but their last top finish came way back in 1980 Moscow Games.
