Defending champions South Korea hold Pakistan to 1-1 draw
India secured its place in the final round of Tokyo Olympic qualifiers by beating Chile 4-2 in the semi-finals of the women's FIH Series Finals hockey tournament.
India produced a lacklustre display and crashed out of the title race in the 22nd Lal Bahadur Shastri under-21 women's hockey tournament after losing 1-2 to Germany in Delhi on Friday. Germany plays New Zealand in the title round on Saturday. The Kiwis beat Australia 3-1 in another league match.
PR Sreejesh, who is playing his last international tournament, on Friday said he is the Dhanraj Pillay for youngsters of the current team.
Former India men's hockey head coach Roelant Oltmans blamed the lack of tactical awareness and a non-existent club culture for India's early exit from the 2023 Hockey World Cup.
The triumph also took Germany to the top of FIH world rankings from the pre-tournament fourth place.
A round-up of Sunday's action in the men's hockey World Cup, in Rourkela.
China stunned Pakistan 2-0 in the shoot-out to enter the final of Hero Asian Champions Trophy for the first time in the history of the tournament.
Over 70 goals were scored on the second day of the men's Junior Hockey World Cup in Odisha, with Spain registering a record-breaking 17-0 win over the USA in a Pool C game, on Thursday.
They beat Border Security Force in the final. Namdhari XI finished third.
India will play South Africa in the ninth to 12th place match on Saturday.
Harmanpreet Singh had also captained the side in the recent series against Australia, where the side fought hard before losing the five-match rubber 1-4.
There is yet another injury blow to India's prospect in the upcoming Asia Cup hockey tournament. The men in blue were dealt a severe blow after star forward S V Sunil had to be ruled out of August 24-September 1 event due to an elbow injury.
New Zealand's win boosted their hopes of reaching the final of the annual tournament in Malaysia.
The Indian womens team failed to qualify for the finals and went down fighting to South Africa in a crucial round-robin match of the four-nation Hockey Tournament in Parana, Argentina.
India and Pakistan scored resounding victories over Singapore and Bangladesh to finish first and second respectively in their groups.
The eight-time Olympic champions, who will play in the last four stage at the Games after 49 years, will take on Belgium, who beat Spain 3-1 in another quarter-final earlier.
Deepika (37th, 39th, 48th) was the star of India's win as she netted a hat-trick of goals while Vaishnavi Phalke (32nd) and Kanika Siwach (38th) score one goal each.
Elodie Picard's brilliance between the sticks gave Delhi SG Pipers a consolation 3-2 win against Odisha Warriors in the shootout in the Women's Hockey India League.
A member of the Indian women's hockey team participating in the Asian Champions Trophy in Donghae, South Korea has tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in the cancellation of its next two matches against defending champions Korea and China respectively.
Araijeet Singh Hundal slammed four goals as defending champions India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 5-3 in the summit clash to win a hat-trick of titles in the men's junior Asia Cup in Muscat on Wednesday.
England pulled out of the FIH Men's Junior World Cup, to be held in Bhubaneswar next month, on Monday, citing a number of COVID-related concerns and taking "note" of the Indian government's mandatory 10-day quarantine protocol for all UK nationals.
Germany ended Belgium's dominance in global hockey in the last five years after yet another stunning comeback from two-goal deficit to beat the defending champions in the penalty shoot-out to win the FIH Hockey Men's World Cup for a third time, in Bhubaneswar, on Sunday.
Savita said the Tokyo Games had instilled a belief that they can match the best in the business on the biggest stage.
India wasted chances galore to settle for a 1-1 draw against England in the their second match at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia, on Sunday.
The Indians were nowhere near their last match performance against Japan as their defence crumbled under relentless pressure from the lower-ranked opposition from the onset of the match.
Striker Anupa Barla scored two as India twice came back from a goal down to beat Australia 3-2 and finish third in the 22nd Lal Bahadur Shastri under-21 women's hockey tournament, in New Delhi, on Saturday.
Indian Airlines thumped Tamil Nadu 6-1 while the policemen beat Bharat Petroleum 2-0 in the Nehru hockey semi-finals.
Chief coach Roelant Oltmans says the performance of the team is always getting better and it is important that the level remains consistent.
Hosts Germany overpowered India 2-0 in an action-packed encounter to end its campaign at the Three Nations Invitational hockey tournament on a winning note.
D Gukesh credited mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton for helping him tame the 'emotional pressure' of competing at the World Chess Championship.
Striker Deepika converted a penalty stroke three minutes from the final hooter to lead India to a tense 3-2 win over South Korea
India will aim for their first podium finish in 48 years in the men's Hockey World Cup as they begin their campaign with a tricky match against Spain in Rourkela on Friday.
Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers secured a hard-fought 5-3 victory over UP Rudras in the Hockey India League, with Jugraj Singh scoring a brace and Gauthier Boccard, Sukhjeet Singh, and Abhishek also finding the back of the net.
Abhishek asserted that he is someone who doesn't buckle under pressure.
The Indian men's hockey team came up with a spirited performance to hold England 1-1 in their third match at the ongoing 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation - International Tournament in Barcelona on Friday.
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).
India kept their Olympic qualification dreams alive by beating lower-ranked Italy in the shoot-out in a classification match of the women's Hockey World League semi-finals at the KHC Dragons Stadium in Antwerp.
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.
