The Netherlands came out top in a sudden death shootout against Germany on Wednesday to go into the final of the Olympic women's hockey tournament and keep the target of a third successive gold medal in their sights.
Goalkeeper P R Sreejesh's magnificent effort went in vain as Olympic champions Germany beat hosts India 1-0 in their opening Pool B match of the Hero Champions Trophy.
India suffered their first defeat in the Punjab Gold Cup hockey, going down 2-4 to World champions Germany in Chandigarh on Friday night.
The squad includes goalkeepers PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak, and defenders Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Surender Kumar, Jugraj Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, and Gurinder Singh.
Here are glimpses of the ecstatic Indian hockey team...
A round-up of matches from the Hockey World Cup played on Saturday.
The event was distinguished by the presence of hockey legends, including former captains Sardar Singh, Dillip Tirkey and Mir Ranjan Negi, former coach Harendra Singh, and the entire bronze winning Indian team.
'Right now hockey is totally changed and anyone can beat anyone depending on the day. It depends on how many chances you create.'
The Netherlands scored two first-half goals to beat Olympic champions Germany 2-1 and enter the semi-finals of the Hero Hockey World League Final at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Wednesday.
India will play Germany on June 8 in their next match at the same venue.
Olympic bronze medallist Germany defeated Malaysia 5-3 in a keenly-contested match
'Now we are giving them a reason to pick up hockey, play the game and make the country more proud than this'
Reigning champions and World No. 2 Belgium, who won the title in the 2018 in Odisha, will take on South Korea in Bhubneswar.
Following is India's schedule on Thursday, Day 13 of competition at the Paris Games:
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'.
Hosts The Netherlands beat Germany by a solitary goal to complicate the Olympic champions' chances of making it to the last four of the Men's World Cup Hockey.
The 1-4 defeat put India out of the reckoning for a place in the knock-out stage at the Tokyo Olympics.
The 32-year-old also lauded the mental fortitude of the side as it defended with 10 players for close to 42 minutes against Britain in the quarter-final after Amit Rohidas was shown a contentious red card.
Two FIH Pro League ties involving the senior men's team, junior men's Asia Cup and senior women's Asian Champions Trophy are among a host of international hockey events, where India was scheduled to take part, that have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It is important that these events do not remain one-offs. It is crucial that India sets long-term targets, and not solely depend on foreign coaches from regions that continue to produce some of the finest talents in the world, asserts Arindam Roy.
India's men's hockey coach Graham Reid hailed his players after the come from behind victory over Germany in the Olympics men's hockey play-off on Thursday.
Just when you think you have seen enough of him, the genial goalkeeper from Kerala conjures up something special and leaves you pleasantly surprised.
India men's hockey team striker Lalit Upadhyay has worked hard to rebuild his career and considers all the setbacks as blessings in disguise.
India's goalkeeper P R Sreejesh praised his teammates for the spirited fight they put up in the 2-3 defeat to Germany in the men's hockey semi-final in Paris on Tuesday.
The Netherlands won their fourth Olympics women's hockey title, beating Argentina 3-1 in the final at the Tokyo Games on Friday.
The Indian team will begin its campaign in Pool D against Wales on Saturday before taking on formidable Germany on Sunday following the final tie against Malaysia.
A heart-wrenching defeat in the semi-finals notwithstanding, a demoralised Indian men's hockey team will have to regroup quickly and aim for a second consecutive podium finish at the Olympics when it takes on Spain in the bronze medal play-off in Paris on Thursday.
France and Germany will clash in the final of the Junior Men's Hockey World Cup. The French made history when they beat Malaysia via the penalty shoot-out in the first semi-final to make their maiden appearance in the final while the defending champions Germans got the better of the Netherlands 5-3.
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.
A bronze medal finish is not what hockey coach Craig Fulton had wanted, but the South African will relish the achievement simply for the fact that "underdog India" lifted themselves up from disappointments when no one gave them a chance.
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.
The men's team last participated in an international competition in February last year when they played the FIH Hockey Pro League matches against Australia in Bhubaneswar.
Check out how India's athletes fared on Day 11, Tuesday, August 6, 2024:
The Indian women's team has made rapid strides at the world level with significant performances in major tournaments
India would look to carry on the momentum and seal a win against Great Britain in the quarterfinals of the men's hockey competition of the Paris Olympics in Paris on Sunday.
India came up with a spirited performance to draw with Olympic champions Germany 3-3 and register their first win at the Hero Hockey World League Finals in New Delhi.
Desperately needing full points from the match, after losing 1-5 to World No.1 Netherlands, 0-2 to Germany and 1-4 to defending champions Great Britain, the Rani Pal-led team scored in the 57 minute through Navneet Kaur to stay in contention for a quarter-final berth.
The Indian men's hockey team brought glory to the country when they ended a 41-year Olympic medal drought after defeating Germany 5-4 at the Tokyo Olympics to win the bronze medal in August.
Pakistan avenged their Asian Games final loss when they beat India 4-3 in Bhubaneswar on Saturday to enter the Champions Trophy hockey final.
A historic bronze-winning show by the men's team and an outstanding fourth place finish for the women's team infused fresh life into the game which was in danger of slipping into oblivion.
