London: Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams have four matches remaining in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24. They will battle against Germany on June 1 & 8 and against Great Britain on June 2 & 9 in a bid to end their campaign with as many points as possible.
After the Antwerp stage, the women’s team is placed seventh while the men’s team is third in the points table.
The men’s team has now amassed 21 points from 12 matches, while their opponents Germany and Great Britain sit in sixth and ninth position respectively, having played only four matches in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 so far.
In the Antwerp stage, India started with a 2-2 (5-4 SO) shootout win against Argentina, followed by a 1-4 loss to Belgium, and a 2-2 (1-3 SO) shootout loss against Belgium before defeating Argentina in a thrilling match which ended 5-4.
Reflecting on the team’s performance so far captain Harmanpreet Singh said, “We played some intense matches against Argentina and Belgium in Antwerp, both in the same pool as us in the Paris 2024 Olympics. We played scintillating hockey in some moments while we struggled in a few others, but the team is constantly improving. We also used this opportunity to give some match experience to the younger players in the squad and improve our overall chemistry.”
“The aim in these upcoming matches will be to get out of our blocks early, work on our combinations and positioning to make sure we play to the best of our abilities. We are aware that the London stage of FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 will be crucial in our preparations for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics, hence we are looking forward to taking on Germany and Great Britain,” he added.
The women’s team is now placed seventh after earning eight points from 12 matches, while their opponents Germany and Great Britain sit in sixth and eighth position respectively, having played four matches in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 so far.
Speaking about the upcoming games, Indian women’s team captain Salima Tete said, “We are currently in a rebuilding phase, and we are looking to take it one game at a time. We are confident that the upcoming games will help us better understand our chemistry within the team and improve going forward.”
