Page 13 - Indian Hockey Team

Janneke Schopman resigns as chief coach of Indian women's hockey team

Indian women's hockey team chief coach Janneke Schopman resigned on Friday, days after creating a furore by claiming that she was not valued and respected enough by the national federation. The Dutch coach had taken over the reins of the women's team in 2021 from Sjoerd Marine, who had led the side to a historic fourth position at the Tokyo Olympics. Schopman's contract was to end in August this year after the Paris Olympics but following her recent critical comments, it was expected that she won't continue. Hockey India (HI) informed that the 46-year-old coach tendered her resignation to Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey after the conclusion of team's outing in the home leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League in Odisha. "At the back of the disappointment at the recent Olympic Qualifiers, her resignation has paved the way for Hockey India to look for a suitable Chief Coach for the Women's Hockey Team who could prepare the Indian Team for the next Women's World Cup in 2026 and Los Angele

FIH Men's Pro League: India draw 1-1, lose 2-4 to Netherlands in shootout

India lost 2-4 against the Netherlands in shootout after their return leg FIH Pro League match ended in a 1-1 draw here on Wednesday. In their first leg match in Bhubaneswar, India had defeated the Netherlands 4-2 in shootout after a 2-2 stalemate in regulation time. World no.1 Netherlands broke the deadlock through Floris Middendorp (4th minute) before vice-captain Hardik Singh (38th) equalised for India, who are ranked fourth. In the shootout, Araijeet Singh Hundal and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay scored for India, while Sukhjeet Singh and Shamsher Singh missed from the one-on-one situation. The win gave Netherlands two points, while India pocketed one point. India applied early pressure on the Dutch with some threatening circle penetrations but failed to yield any positive results. The Netherlands, in turn, took the lead from their first circle entry in the fourth minute through Middendorp, who scored his first international career goal. Middendorp scored from a rebound after India .

FIH Pro League: India look to continue recent domination over Netherlands

The Indian men's hockey team would look to continue its recent domination over the Netherlands with an outright win when the two sides meet in the return leg match of the FIH Pro League here on Wednesday. India have had a good run in the Pro League so far with the team led by drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh winning two out of their five games in regulation time. India's resilience saw them defeat the Dutch and Spain in shootouts, earning valuable bonus points. Their solitary defeat came at the hands of Australia but that too from a winning position. India are currently placed fourth in the Pro League standings with 10 points from five matches. The Netherlands are leading the chart with 18 points from nine games ahead of Argentina (13 points from 8 matches) and Australia (12 points from 4 games). But having said that the Indians, ranked third in the world, have had to face a tough time in their last two matches against world No.12 Ireland and world No.8 Spain. India were made to t

Indian men's hockey team beats Spain via penalty shootout in FIH Pro League

Experienced goalkeeper PR Sreejesh produced the decisive save as the Indian men's hockey team beat Spain via penalty shootout in an FIH Pro League match here on Monday. The two teams were locked 2-2 in the regulation time. Jarmanpreet Singh (1st minute) and Abhishek (35th) sounded the board for India while Jose Basterra (3rd) and Borja Lacalle (15th) got the goals for Spain in the normal time. The penalty shootout too turned out to be a thrilling contest as the two teams were locked 7-7 before Lalit Kumar Upadhyay put India ahead. Indian custodian Sreejesh then produced a decisive save, denying Spain captain Marc Miralles, to earn the win for the hosts. India will next face the Netherlands on Wednesday.

Pro League matches vital for Paris 2024 preparations: India coach Fulton

Indian men's hockey team chief coach Craig Fulton on Sunday said the ongoing FIH Pro League matches are vital to his team's preparation for the Paris Olympics scheduled for July-August. The Indians have so far played four matches in the Pro League out, winning three and losing one against the mighty Australia. "It (Pro League) gives us 18 games that you are looking in the build up to Paris. So it is important. Whether some teams are putting their strongest teams or not is out of our control," Fulton said during a virtual press conference. "Everything we are looking forward to is to have more perspective about our game, develop our game with the squad we have. "We know we can compete in all the games, in different phases we have to different things and do them better. So the Pro League is really important for now because this is the only competition we have". India captain Harmanpreet Singh too agreed with his coach. "These are the major matches we are getting before the Olympics

Indian women's hockey team stun better placed Australia 1-0 in Pro League

Forward Vandana Katariya scored from a penalty corner to help the Indian women's hockey team stun world number 3 Australia 1-0 in the FIH Pro League here on Saturday. Katariya scored in the 34th minute as world number nine India registered their second win of the tournament and also avenged last week's 0-3 loss to Australia in Bhubaneswar. India found themselves under pressure early in the first quarter as Australia was awarded a penalty corner in the third minute. However, the Indian captain and goalkeeper Savita Punia did well to keep the ball out. A few minutes later Jane Claxton took a shot at goal but it went on to hit the goalpost. The first quarter was plenty of action but ended without any goals being scored. The second quarter started with India being awarded a penalty corner early on but it wasn't converted. The Aussies won their second penalty corner in the 20th minute but failed to convert it. Both the teams made plenty of circle entries but the first-half ended ...

FIH Pro League: Indian women's hockey team looks to end home leg on a high

Bruised and battered, the Indian women's hockey team will look to end the campaign at home on a high note when it takes on Australia and the USA in the Pro League here over the weekend. Having failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics, the Savita Punia-led team's performance has gone from bad to worse against the top sides in the ongoing FIH Pro League, losing five of their six matches. After suffering a 1-2 defeat in their first match against China, India went on to lose 1-3 to the Netherlands and 0-3 to Australia before beating the United States 3-1 in their final match of the Bhubaneswar leg. In their first match of the Rourkela leg, India took the lead early but China came back strongly to win the game 2-1. India then went on to lose 0-1 to the Netherlands. Although they produced a much-improved defensive show against Netherlands in the previous game, they lacked sharpness and innovative moves upfront and their penalty corner conversion rate remains abysmal. "We lost the last .

FIH Pro League 2023-24, IND vs AUS: Fighting India lose 4-6 to Australia

Skipper Harmanpreet Singh's brace went in vain as the Indian men's hockey team conceded three goals in the final quarter to lose 4-6 to Australia in a FIH Pro League match here on Thursday. It was Australia who started and finished the match in style with the Indians dominating in the middle period. Harmanpreet (12th, 20th minutes) converted two penalty corners, while Sukhjeet Singh (18th) and Mandeep Singh (29th) were the other goal getters for India. Blake Govers struck twice for Australia in the second minute besides Aran Zalewski (40th), Lahlan Sharp (52nd), Jacon Anderson (55th) and Jack Welch (58th). The Kookaburras took India for a surprise at the start of the match with Govers handing the visitors a 2-0 lead in the second minute. He first scored from Australia's first penalty corner past India custodian Krishan Bahadur Pathak and then doubled his side's lead with an unstoppable shot past the goalkeeper. It was full press from the Kookaburras in the first 10 minutes as the

FIH Pro League: After straight wins, India fancy chances against Australia

Their confidence boosted after back-to-back wins, India will fancy their chances against formidable Australia in their third match of the men's FIH Pro League hockey here on Thursday. India outplayed Spain 4-1 before registering a thrilling 4-2 shootout win -- after 2-2 scoreline in regulation time -- over defending champions and world number one the Netherlands to begin their season with a bang. Historically, the head-to-head record between the two teams is heavily skewed in favour of Australia but the Indians have done better in recent times, especially in the last season of the FIH Pro League. India had beaten Australia 5-4 and 4-3 in shootout (after 2-2 in regulation time) in the two-legged tie in Rourkela last season, and the Harmanpreet Singh-led home side would look to continue their rare winning run against their mighty opponents. Australia are also coming into Thursday match at the Kalinga Stadium after two wins -- 4-3 against Spain and 5-0 against Ireland -- and they woul

FIH Pro League: Sreejesh hands India win over Netherlands in shootout

Veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh turned out to be the saviour as the Indian men's hockey team defeated world number one Netherlands 4-2 via a shoot-out in the FIH Pro League here on Sunday. Sreejesh made three fine saves in the shoot-out to hand India the bonus two points after both the teams were locked at 2-2 at the end of regulation 60 minutes. Netherlands took one points from the match. In the shoot-out, skipper Harmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay and Shamsher Singh scored for world number three India. In the regulation time, Hardik Singh (13th minute) and Harmanpreet (58th) found the net for India, while Jip Janssen (30th) and Koen Bijen scored for the Dutch. Netherlands put the home team defence under pressure in the initial eight minutes of the match with play mostly restricted to the Indian circle. But the Indian defence dished out a solid performance to weather the initial storm. The Indians initially failed to keep possession of the ball but gained in

Harmanpreet's brace hands India 4-1 win over Spain in FIH Pro League

Skipper Harmanpreet Singh slammed a brace as the Indian men's hockey team outplayed Spain 4-1 in a FIH Pro League match here on Saturday. Harmanpreet converted a penalty corner in the seventh minute before scoring from the spot in the 20th minute. Jugraj Singh also converted a penalty corner in the 24th minute while Lalit Kumar Upadhyay scored a field goal in the 50th minute to register the easy win for India. Spain's lone goal came from a penalty-stroke conversion by Marc Miralles in the 34th minute. Spain started on a positive note, enjoying ball possession in the first five minutes but failed to create any clear-cut chance. Soon Hardik Singh earned India's first penalty corner and in his 199th match, Harmanpreet scored his 150th penalty-corner goal. It was a perfect penalty corner, strong and low, which beat Spain goalkeeper Luis Calzado all ends up. The home team was solid in defence in the first quarter as it didn't let Spain hit the target despite enjoying possession. At

It's a distraction: Coach Fulton on rape allegations against defender Varun

The rape allegation against defender Varun Kumar is a distraction for the men's hockey team and his absence from the FIH Pro League will be treated as an injury setback, India chief coach Craig Fulton said on Friday. Varun, an Arjuna award recipient, withdrew himself from the tournament after being accused of rape. He is exploring legal options to tackle the allegation, which he described as a "calculated attempt to extort money" from him. India are scheduled to take on Spain in the tournament-opener on Saturday. "If you take it from outside and, of course, it's a challenging situation but at the same time, you've got a level of professionalism and then from a start point of view we have to have our plans in place," said Fulton during a pre-event press conference. "So, if you took it as an injury, someone now is injured. What would you do? What are the plans in place in the event of an injury? So, Varun is not here. What is the plan? There always is a plan for anyone that gets inju

FIH Pro League 2024: India hockey schedule, live match time, live streaming

India will host Spain, Netherlands, Ireland, & Australia in Odisha. Jio Cinemas will live stream live India hockey matches in India

Accused of rape, Varun withdraws from FIH Pro League to fight legal battle

Accused of rape under the stringent POCSO act, Arjuna award-winning Indian hockey player Varun Kumar has withdrawn from the FIH Pro League in Bhubaneswar to explore his legal options against the allegation, which he described as a "calculated attempt to extort money" from him. The 28-year-old has been granted "urgent leave" from national duty by Hockey India after he stated that the incident has taken a toll on his "physical and mental health". Varun has been booked by the Bengaluru Police after a woman accused the defender of sexually abusing her multiple times when she was a minor. The 22-year-old, in her complaint filed on Monday, said that she came in contact with Varun in 2018 through Instagram, and the player raped her on multiple occasions promising her of marriage when she was 17. In a letter to Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, which is in possession of PTI, Varun claimed that the complaint against him is false and a misuse of the "state machinery". "Through media repo

India hockey player Varun Kumar accused of rape, booked under POCSO act

Arjuna award-winning Indian hockey player Varun Kumar was on Tuesday booked under the stringent POCSO act by the Bengaluru Police after a woman accused the defender of sexually abusing her multiple times when she was a minor. The 22-year-old, in her complaint, said that she came in contact with Varun in 2018 through Instagram, and the player raped her on multiple occasions promising her of marriage when she was 17. She said Varun was training at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bengaluru when she met him. Varun, who was awarded the Arjuna in 2021, was recently promoted as a DSP in Punjab Police. "Based on the complaint received from the woman, we have registered a case on Monday against the Hockey player under appropriate section of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and sections 376 (rape) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code," the Bengaluru Police said in a statement. Varun, who was in the Indian stand

FIH Women's Pro League: Indian hockey team matches, timing, live streaming

India will face the USA, the Netherlands, China, and Australia in the matches played at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Bhubaneswar and Birsa Munda Stadium, Rourkela

Lack of drag flickers concerning for Indian women's hockey: Schopman

The Indian women's hockey team's woeful penalty conversion rate is due to the lack of drag flickers in the side, according to chief coach Janneke Schopman, who stressed on the need to have a more effective talent development programme in the country. Penalty corner conversion has been a thorn in the flesh for the Indian women's team of late. The inability to convert was one of the reasons the side struggled at last month's Olympic Qualifiers, eventually missing the bus for the Paris Games. "We need potentially more depth in our penalty corner. That is a concern in women's hockey in India," Schopman said on the eve of India's FIH Pro League match against China. "If you look at any other country in the top 10, they have 5-6 drag flickers and we do not. So there's work that needs to be happening in talent development." Schopman said while the team is still hurting after its shocking failure to qualify for the Olympics, it is time to look ahead and make the most of the opportunities th

Indian men's hockey team end SA tour with 1-5 loss to the Netherlands

The Indian men's hockey team ended its tour of South Africa with a disappointing 1-5 drubbing at the hands of the Netherlands here on Sunday. Abhishek (39') scored the lone goal for India while Jip Janssen (10', 28'), Duco Telgenkamp (16'), Tjep Hoedemakers (21'), and Koen Bijen (35') were on target for the Dutch side, which is world's top-ranked team. The match began with Netherlands taking an early advantage as Janssen found the back of the net in the 10th minute to give his side the lead. Despite repeated attacks, India were unable to cover the deficit by the end of the first quarter. At the start of the second quarter, Telgenkamp (16') doubled his side's lead. Minutes later, Hoedemakers (21') scored the third goal for the Netherlands, building more pressure on India. Janssen (28') scored late in the second quarter as the Dutch side went into halftime with a 4-0 lead. India began searching for early goals in the second half, but Bijen (35') managed to get another goal for the

India beat South Africa 6-3 to enter FIH Hockey5s Women's World Cup final

India registered a thrilling 6-3 win over South Africa to advance to the final of the FIH Hockey5s Women's World Cup here. Akshata Abaso Dhekale (7th minute), Mariana Kujur (11th), Mumtaz Khan (21st), Rutuja Dadaso Pisal (23rd), Jyoti Chhatri (25th) and Ajima Kujur (26th) scored for India in the semifinal on Friday night. Teshawn De La Rey (5th), captain Toni Marks (8th) and Dirkie Chamberlain (29th) were on target for South Africa. South Africa began the first half on a defensive note, waiting for counters to threaten the Indian goal. The game's first chance fell to South Africa but India goalkeeper Rajani Etimarpu was vigilant in front of the goal. It was a close-range reverse shot from South Africa's Teshawn De La Rey that gave them the early lead, which was short-lived as Akshata equalised for India with a powerful shot that beat South African goalie Grace Cochrane all ends up. But a minute later skipper Toni picked up a pass, dodged the keeper and found the back of the net t

Indian men's hockey team beats South Africa 3-0 at their home turf

The Indian men's hockey team continued its unbeaten run on the tour to South Africa, registering an easy 3-0 win over the hosts here. Captain Harmanpreet Singh (2nd minute), Abhishek (13th), and Sumit (30th) scored for the winners on Friday night. The Indians started on an attacking note and secured an early penalty corner, which Harmanpreet converted with a powerful dragflick to take the lead. With just a couple of minutes left in the first quarter, Abhishek managed to make the most of an attacking move and struck one past South Africa goalkeeper to double India's lead. Despite plenty of attacks from South Africa in the second quarter, India's defence maintained their composure and remained resolute in their determination to keep a clean sheet. Just at the stroke of half-time, Sumit managed to score another field goal as India took a comfortable 3-0 lead. South Africa started showcasing urgency after the change of ends, but failed to break the Indian defence. The cagey third q