India have been the FIH's top market in the last decade or so in terms of sponsorships and monetary benefits, and the world body official stressed that the country will continue to hold its significance despite the sport spreading its wings to other parts of the world.
Vice-captain Sanjay scored a brilliant hat-trick but it was not enough as defending champions India were stunned by unfancied France in their opening Pool B match of the FIH Junior Hockey World Cup, in Bhubaneswar, on Wednesday.
The Azlan Shah Cup is the latest sporting event to be hit by the deadly coronavirus, which has claimed more than 3,000 lives and infected 86,000 people across the world.
Defender Dilip Tirkey will lead the team for the four-Test series, starting on September 24.
New Zealand posted their third successive victory by prevailing 3-1 over an erratic Pakistan in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia, on Sunday.
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.
A profligate Indian men's hockey team frittered away chances galore, going down 1-4 to arch-rivals Pakistan in the bronze medal match to sign off bottom of the heap in the four-nation Lanco International super Series Hockey 9s in Perth.
A hat-trick by Tushar Khandekar was the highlight of a 5-2 victory in the final of the tournament.
Both countries are resting their top players for the tournament.
The country's best players, including all the 16 members of the London Olympics team, will be part of next month's players' auction for the inaugural Hockey India League, in January-February 2013.
'The focus will be on maintaining structure and would like to play more in structure in our upcoming games.'
A cracker of a contest is on the cards when a confident India takes on a resurgent Pakistan in the semi-finals of the Hero Champions Trophy hockey tournament, in Bhubaneswar, on Saturday.
India maintained their dominance in the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament with a nervy 3-2 victory over South Korea
Rising political tension has adversely affected the bilateral sporting ties between India and Pakistan but newly-elected FIH chief Narinder Batra on Saturday said the two nations will have to honour their international commitments. The tension at the border has cast a shadow over Pakistan's participation in the next month's FIH Junior World Cup in Lucknow but Batra's comments make it clear that the two neighbours are set to clash against each other on Indian soil.
The T20 World Cup in the US is a 'landmark event' and there is huge excitement among the diaspora as well as across America, said Consul General of India in New York Binaya Srikanta Pradhan.
Former captain and coach of the Pakistan hockey team Tahir Zaman feels that foreign coaches are not a long term solution for India and Pakistan hockey as they come from a completely different background.
On Saturday, the Harmanpreet Singh-led side defeated Malaysia 4-3 to lift the ACT title. They made an incredible comeback from 1-3 down.
A traditional rivalry will take centre stage when India take on Pakistan in the semi-finals of the Under-18 Asia Cup hockey tournament in Dhaka, on Thursday.
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.
India midfielder Manpreet Singh will take over the captaincy from PR Sreejesh in the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat next month, marking the hockey team's first major tournament after the retirement of Sardar Singh.
The Indian Men's Hockey Team Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh opened up on the team's preparations for the upcoming 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation - International Tournament and Hero Asian Champions Trophy.
India finished third in the 100th anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation international tournament in Terrassa. The team beat reigning FIH Pro League champions Netherlands 2-1 in the third-fourth play-off match on Sunday.
An inexperienced Indian men's hockey team fought hard before going down to arch-rivals Pakistan 4-5 and slumping to their third defeat in the Asian Champions Trophy at Kakamigahara, Japan on Thursday.
With the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games being postponed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sardar feels the Indian team will get some time to work on its grey areas and unearth new talent.
India entered the final of the men's hockey tournament at the Asian Games after a solitary goal victory over South Korea in the semi-finals, in Incheon, on Tuesday.
Having made the cut for the 18-member squad for the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, the Indian men's hockey team forward Gurjant Singh is looking to make an impact with his skills.
The midfield will be spearheaded by Olympic bronze medal-winning former skipper Manpreet Singh, current vice-captain Hardik Singh and young Vivek Sagar Prasad, while India also boasts of a strong, attacking forwardline in Shamsher Singh, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek and Sukhjeet Singh.
Drag-flicker Diwakar Ram will lead the under-21 Indian hockey team against Pakistan in a five-match away Test series from November 11 to 21. The 20-member squad also includes promising junior players in Innocent Kullu, Birendra Lakra, Mandip Antil, Amardeep Ekka among others.
The seven participants due to represent Pakistan at next month's Games have all been given wildcard entries.
Indian cricket team had last toured Pakistan in 2007, and after that, no team across any sport in the country has toured Pakistan.
With clock ticking down fast for the upcoming edition of the Asian Games, Hockey India named a 39-member core probable group for the Senior Men's National Coaching Camp.
The year 2023 will go down as extremely memorable for the Indian sports fraternity as players across various disciplines came together to script history at the Asian Games held in Hangzhou.
PHF President Qasim Zia is hoping that the upcoming bilateral hockey series between India and Pakistan would not be affected despite fresh tension between the two countries.
The Indian boys dominated the entire match as they registered an easy win in their opening match.
India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 3-2 in an intense match of the Asian Champions Trophy on Sunday.
India will next play arch-rivals Pakistan in the round-robin stage on Friday.
'The feeling that we were Olympic champions only dawned on us when we reached India.'
'Cricket as a pathway in the US was not something people thought about 10 years ago, even like five years ago.' 'But now that there is a pathway you can see.'
Indian men's hockey team goalkeeper Krishan B Pathak spoke about his selection in the team for the Asian Games and his family's reaction when he broke the news to them.
Foreign teams that will land in India for next month's FIH Men's Junior Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar have been exempted from quarantine and will only be required to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms during the stay.
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