India were handed a 1-0 defeat by Japan in the quarter-finals of the women's Champions Challenge 1 hockey tournament, in Dublin, Ireland, on Thursday.
Four-time champions Pakistan produced a lion-hearted performance before going down 0-1 to Olympic bronze medallist Germany in their opening Pool D match of the 2018 Hockey World Cup.
Goalkeeper Bharat Chetri will lead the Indian hockey team at next month's London Olympics, from July 27 to August 12. Sardar Singh will be his deputy in the 16-member squad.
The multi-million dollar World Series Hockey suffered a huge jolt just days before its start, with six top Indian players withdrawing from the league, from December 17. Goalkeepers Bharat Chetri and PR Sreejesh, star drag flicker Sandeep Singh, defender Sardar Singh, and forwards Tushar Khandker and Yuvraj Walmiki have preferred country over the unsanctioned league.
The former India hockey ace has decided to sell his house to finance the project.
In an encouraging development for the Indian women's hockey team, all the squad members are set to be included in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) when the review committee will identify a core group for the government-funded programme, next month.
Stung by five suspensions after an ugly showdown with Pakistani players during a match, the Indian hockey team management will consider appealing against the penalty insisting that it was their arch-rivals who were at fault during the fracas.
Former captain Rajpal Singh got the axe as Hockey India named an 18-member squad for the London Olympics qualifier, to be held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, in Delhi, from February 18 to 26. Experienced midfielders Vikram Pillay and Arjun Halappa also failed to find a place in the squad, which will be led by goalkeeper Bharat Chetri.
The young drag-flicker was rewarded with a berth in the senior squad following consistent performances in junior tournaments, particularly the Under-21 tournament Malaysia, where he emerged top scorer.
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.
The Walmiki brothers, Yuvraj and Devinder and their nephew Anup Amarpal will steal the limelight in the Hero Hockey India League.
Varun Kumar converted a penalty corner in the 24th minute to hand India the lead before Simranjeet Singh (55th) scored a diving field goal from skipper Manpreet Singh's brilliant pass to secure full three points for the five-time champions.
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.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
Forward Rajpal Singh will lead a young 18-member India squad in the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament in Ordos, China, from September 3 to 11.
Ace forward Dhanraj Pillay was not considered for selection as he is still nursing an injury.\n\n
The Indians have won the age group tournament twice, in 2013 and 2014 and finished second best four times in 2012, 2015, 2018 and the last edition of the event in 2019.
Constant changes in the rules of field hockey have affected the performance of former giants of the game -- India and Pakistan -- while benefiting European teams the most, according to ace Pakistan forward Rehan Butt.
Australia blanked India 5-0 in the second leg match of the tri-nation tournament, in Burnbury, Australia, on Monday.
'What's sad today is that there are so many people who cannot find work, not because the country is devoid of that opportunity, but because we are not doing enough in the country.'
Striker Gurwinder Singh Chandi failed to make the cut as Hockey India announced an 18-member squad, led by Sadar Singh, for the eight-nation Hero men's Champions Trophy, in Bhubaneswar, from December 6-14. Lalit Upadhyay, who was capped nine times earlier, has been drafted in place of Chandi in the squad, named by Hockey India selectors after trials at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi on November 18.
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.
The Indian hockey team succumbed to its second straight defeat, going down 2-4 in the final match to allow Argentina level the four-match Test series in Mar Del Plata, Argentina, on Friday. A shaky defence and a profligate forward line let down India as Sandeep Singh and his men squandered a 2-1 lead and conceded three second half goals to share honours in the four-match series, which they led 2-0 at the midway stage.
Baljit Singh Dhillon scored twice off penalty-corners to give the cops a 3-0 win over Indian Airlines in the final.
Indian women are in danger of missing out on a quarter-final berth after Ireland pulled off a 1-0 victory in a hockey World Cup group league match, in London on Thursday.
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.
Rupinder has been replaced in the team by Nilam Sanjeep Xess.
India's Olympics hockey campaign ended on an ignominious all-loss note -- their worst at the mega event -- after being drubbed 3-0 by lowly Belgium in their last pool match on Tuesday.
Three-time Olympic champion Australia had to beat world champions Argentina on Monday to reach the Olympic women's field hockey semi-finals. It never got close. Argentina relentlessly pressed forward and barely gave Australia a chance in a 0-0 draw at the Riverbank Arena.
The Mumbai side shocked star-studded Indian Airlines in the final of the tournament.\n\n
Sjoerd Marijne said he found it hard to recognise the team he has been coaching while watching it squander lead and settle for a frustrating 2-2 draw against a lackadaisacal Pakistan in the Commonwealth Games on Saturday.
The Indian team management on Monday appealed to the International Hockey Federation (FIH) against suspensions imposed on five members of the squad for their role in the ugly showdown with Pakistan players during the tri-nation tournament match in Burnbury, Australia, last week.
Determined to put up a top-notch performance at the 2016 Olympic Games, the Indian men and women's hockey teams arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Friday.
The Indians eventually lost the semi-final 0-3 in the shootout after both teams were tied 1-1 at the end of regulation time as the crowd booed the technical officials for the decision.
Two early goals put paid to India's hopes of making the final in men's hockey as they went down 1-3 to New Zealand in the semi-finals at the Commonwealth Games on Friday.
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.
Veteran striker Sunil's participation in the mega event was always in doubt ever since he picked up a knee injury during the national camp in the lead up to the Asian Champions Trophy held in Muscat last month.
A 24-strong team for the men's hockey series against Japan was announced on Thursday, following a week-long preparatory camp held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, that commenced on April 22.
Down to ten men for the entire second half, a struggling Dabang Mumbai secured their first victory in the Hockey India League with a thrilling 7-5 win over table toppers and defending champions Ranchi Rays.
