Latest news with #FIHProLeague2024-25
United News of India
6 days ago
- Sport
- United News of India
Pro league a wakeup call for Indian team: Sreejesh
New Delhi, July 17 (UNI) Former India Hockey great PR Sreejesh feels that India's poor show at the European leg of the FIH Pro League 2024-25 is a wakeup call ahead of Asia Cup in August. India finished eighth on the FIH Pro League 2024-25 points table after suffering seven successive losses in the European leg of the tour. Speaking to the Press on the side-lines of the launch event of the 20th Vedanta Delhi Half marathon yesterday evening he said "I think the team performed well, we created a lot of opportunities, we gave very good fight on the field but sometimes it happens, the result went against us but the result went against us. This result is a very good wake up call for us ahead of the Asia Cup, and other crucial tournaments like the World Cup and Asia games next year." The Asia Cup will be held in Rajgir, from August 27 to September 7, 2025. The Hockey World Cup will be jointly hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands in August 14–30, 2026 while the Asian Games will be held from September 19 to October 4, 2026. Sreejesh, who won the 'World Games Athlete of the Year' in 2021 expressed happiness that more and more people are taking to running as a way to stay healthy "Every year more people are joining and running (in the Delhi Half Marathon) is becoming more popular, it's exiting, people should challenge themselves, get into the rhythm." The two time Olympic medallist who is now the Head Coach of India men's national U-21 team said that as a coach one of his main job is to ensure that the players learn how to handle pressure "As a coach my job is to take the pressure off the players, I tell them that during the Junior World Cup 10 thousand odd people will be cheering and yelling at you, accept these things, being a coach sharing my playing experience with the players is very important" he said. The 2025 Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup will be held in Chennai from November 28 to December 10, 2025. UNI RKM
United News of India
21-06-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
India's test against Belgium, as both men & women team take on hosts
Antwerp, June 20 (UNI) India's outing in the ongoing FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 hasn't gone as per the script. Finishing in top 3 and vying for a World Cup berth was on their minds when they left India for the European leg. After six straight loses, the Indian Men's Hockey Team will now take on their nemesis in modern hockey Belgium, who come into the game tomorrow with 6-3 win against Spain, after they lost 1-2 in the previous tie to the same team. They are currently placed third in the points table after the Netherlands and Australia respectively. Meanwhile, India have slipped to the 8th position in the current pool standings and with two matches to go, the team will look to end their campaign with consolation win. Putting things into perspective, Vice Skipper Hardik Singh said, "The results have not gone as planned and it's not that we have played badly. I think it hurts more when you play well but not convert that into desired result. This is something we will introspect on, but for now we are focused on the last two matches here. Belgium and India have always shared a healthy rivalry in recent times and both teams bring out the best in each other." "Our focus will be on finishing well, ensuring tighter defence and creating chances to score," he added. Meanwhile, the women's team will take on the hosts in Antwerp hoping to turn the tide against world no.3 Belgium. Speaking about the upcoming game, Women's Captain Salima Tete expressed, "While we had two close matches against Australia and took Argentina to a penalty shootout in our last match, it was our 1-4 loss against Argentina in the previous match that gave us most insight into where we need to strengthen our game further and that is what we worked upon in our last match and take forward for our match against Belgium." "Last year, during our previous encounter against the Belgium Team, we didn't give them any easy wins, and we're now taking our learnings from those matches and our recent encounters against Australia and Argentina to go all out against them again and hopefully win," she said. The Indian Men's and Women's Team will take on Belgium in a double-header on June 21 and 22. All the FIH Pro League 2024-25 (Men) matches will be streamed live on Jio Hotstar and broadcast on Star Sports Select. UNI BM
India Gazette
16-06-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Indian women's hockey team ready to give it all against mighty Argentina
London [UK], June 16 (ANI): After a narrow defeat against Australia, the Indian women's hockey team is set to give their all against World No. 2 Argentina in their upcoming FIH Pro League 2024-25 (Women) matches in London on June 17 and 18. Currently ranked 7th with 9 points, India is expecting a tough battle against Argentina, placed 2nd on the FIH Pro League (Women) points table. Regarding the upcoming matches, Indian women's hockey team captain Salima Tete said, as quoted from Hockey India, 'Argentina is ranked No. 2 in the world and has won seven of their 12 FIH Pro League matches so far. Coming into this leg of the league, we knew they would be one of the toughest teams to beat. But we won't go down without a fight -- we'll give it our all in both matches. The team has been training well to take them on and has been working on various strategies to win crucial points against them.' Vice captain Navneet Kaur agreed, adding, 'As you saw, the team gave Australia a tough fight in the last two matches, and we're planning to do the same against Argentina. We'll give it our all and aim to come out victorious. A win against Argentina will not only help us gain points but will also give the team a big morale boost as we head to Antwerp and then Berlin for our matches against Belgium and China.' The Indian women's hockey team will play their first match against Argentina on June 17, followed by the second match on June 18. Both matches will take place at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London. During India's last outing in the FIH Hockey Pro League, Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke (3') scored the only goal for India, while Amy Lawton (37') and Lexie Pickering (60') were the goalscorers for Australia. India took an early lead in the proceedings, but Australia made a comeback with a goal in the third and final minute of the fourth quarter to seal the victory. (ANI)
United News of India
16-06-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
Indian Women's Hockey team ready to give their all against mighty Argentina
London, June 16 (UNI) After a narrow defeat against Australia, the Indian Women's Hockey Team is set to give their all against World No. 2 Argentina in their upcoming FIH Pro League 2024-25 (Women) matches in London on June 17 and 18. Currently ranked 7th with 9 points, India is expecting a tough battle against Argentina, who are placed 2nd on the FIH Pro League (Women) points table. Speaking about the upcoming matches, Indian Women's Hockey Team Captain Salima Tete said, "Argentina is ranked No. 2 in the world and has won 7 of their 12 FIH Pro League matches so far. Coming into this leg of the league, we knew they would be one of the toughest teams to beat. But we won't go down without a fight — we'll give it our all in both matches. The team has been training well to take them on and has been working on various strategies to win crucial points against them." Vice Captain Navneet Kaur agreed, adding, "As you saw, the team gave Australia a tough fight in the last two matches, and we're planning to do the same against Argentina. We'll give it our all and aim to come out victorious. A win against Argentina will not only help us gain points but will also give the team a big morale boost as we head to Antwerp and then Berlin for our matches against Belgium and China." The Indian Women's Hockey Team will play their first match against Argentina on June 17, followed by the second match on June 18. Both matches will take place at Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre in London. All FIH Pro League 2024-25 (Men and Women) matches will be streamed live on JioCinema and broadcast on Star Sports Select. UNI BM
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Business Standard
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Business Standard
FIH Pro League Highlights: India slump to 6th defeat against Australia
India's struggles in the European leg of the FIH Pro League 2024-25 continued as they fell to their sixth straight defeat, losing 3-2 to Australia for the second time in as many days. The close loss once again highlighted India's inability to convert promising moments into a complete performance, as Craig Fulton's side sorely missed the presence of captain Harmanpreet Singh. Despite the absence of their leader, India made a bright start. Young defender Sanjay put India ahead in just the third minute with a well-taken goal, offering early hope for a turnaround. However, that lead was short-lived. Australia struck back immediately, demonstrating their attacking prowess with two rapid goals in the fourth and fifth minutes. Tim Brand equalised before Blake Govers fired home to put the Aussies ahead, completely flipping the momentum within moments. Before the half-time whistle, Cooper Burns added a third for the Kookaburras, extending their lead to 3-1. The Indian defence, which had started brightly, appeared rattled under sustained pressure from the Australian forwards. India regrouped in the third quarter and found a lifeline through forward Dilpreet Singh, who scored to narrow the deficit to one goal. The Indians upped their intensity in search of an equaliser and created several chances, but lacked the finishing edge in the final third. With minutes ticking down, the Indian side pushed high and pressed for a late goal. However, the Australian defence held firm, absorbing the pressure and ensuring they walked away with another narrow victory over their Asian rivals. This latest loss adds to India's woes in the Pro League campaign, leaving them without a win on their European tour so far. The absence of key players like Harmanpreet has undoubtedly impacted the side, but the repeated defensive lapses and missed chances in crucial moments continue to haunt them. Craig Fulton and his team will now need to reassess their strategies quickly, with only a few games left to salvage some pride and momentum before major international tournaments later this year.
