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23May

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India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2022 Live Streaming: When and where to watch

India vs Pakistan (IND vs PAK), Asia Cup 2022, Live Streaming: The Indian men’s hockey team, led by Olympic bronze medallist Birendra Lakra, will kick off their campaign against Pakistan on Monday. From Melbourne 1956 to Athens 2004, 🇮🇳 🆚 🇵🇰 at the Olympics has always been a spicy affair! 🔥 The two sides renew their quest for glory at the Asia Cup 2022 later today! 🏑#HockeyAsiaCup2022 | @TheHockeyIndia | @PHFofficial | @FIH_Hockey — Olympic Khel (@OlympicKhel) May 23, 2022 India will be defending the Asia Cup title and will be up against Japan, Pakistan and hosts Indonesia in Pool A, while Malaysia, Korea, Oman and Bangladesh are grouped in Pool B. Here is all you need to know about tonight’s encounter. Where will India vs Pakistan Asia Cup match be held? India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 20...

22May

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Young Indian team needs to handle pressure in Asia Cup hockey opener against Pakistan

A second-string Indian men’s hockey team will have to tactfully deal with the pressure when it opens its title defence against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup here on Monday. While Pakistan has fielded quite a few new faces in the tournament, India will be represented by its ‘A’ team under the leadership of veteran Birendra Lakra, who came out of retirement after the Tokyo Olympics. For India, the Asia Cup provides a platform to test its bench strength ahead of a busy season, that includes the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and the FIH World Cup next year for which the Tokyo Olympic medallists have already qualified as the host nation. Pakistan, on the other hand, is looking at the tournament to make the cut for the 2023 World Cup in Bhubaneswar. The top three teams in Asia will qua...

12May

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Making Hockey Safe Again: Injuries raise question mark over penalty corner

FOR DECADES, penalty corners have showcased thrilling action sequences on a hockey field — from the cannonball-like shots hurled by drag-flickers and “suicide runs” from defenders to block them to the goalkeepers diving and lunging to keep the ball out. But now, the future of one of hockey’s most integral elements is being reconsidered, at least in its current avatar. The reason? Rising risk of injuries and a diminishing success rate. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has launched a consultation project titled, “Future of the Penalty Corner”, which aims to “balance between safety and the spectacle” of the set-piece. Although there will be no rule change until after the Paris Olympics in 2024, the FIH has told national federations: “We must consider making changes to the penalty ...

12Apr

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Mumtaz’s brace goes in vain as Indian team loses to England in bronze medal match

Mumtaz Khan’s brace went in vain as the Indian women’s hockey team’s dream of reclaiming a bronze medal from the FIH Junior World Cup went up in smoke, losing 0-3 in the shoot-out to England after both the teams were locked 2-2 at the end of regulation time here on Tuesday. Mumtaz, India’s highest scorer in the tournament with eight strikes, scored two field goals in the 21st and 47th minutes, but those were cancelled by Millie Giglio (18th) and Claudia Swain (58th) to take the third-fourth play-off match to shoot-out. The Indians cut a sorry figure in the shoot-out as Olympian Sharmila Devi, skipper Salima Tete and Sangita Kumari faltered, while England’s Katie Curtis, Swain and Maddie Axford found the back of the Indian net to avenge their loss at the same stage in the 2013 edition. I...

10Apr

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Heartbreak for India as they lose 0-3 to Netherlands in semifinals of Junior Women’s WC

The Indian women’s hockey team’s dream run in the FIH Junior World Cup came to a screeching halt after it suffered a 0-3 defeat to three-time champions, the Netherlands in the semifinals, here on Sunday. India, whose best finish in the tournament came in the 2013 edition where they finished as bronze medallists, were eying a maiden berth in the summit clash of the event. The team so far produced high quality hockey to march into the last-four round unbeaten. But it was not to be as the Netherlands scored three field goals through Tessa Beetsma (12th minute), Luna Fokke (53rd) and Jip Dicke (54th) to emerge winners and sail into the their fourth consecutive final. The Indian Women’s Junior Team put up a valiant fight till the end, but we were defeated by the Netherlands. We will return ...

10Apr

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Why loss to The Netherlands is a stepping stone for India’s junior women’s hockey World Cup team

If the purpose of the Junior World Cup is to provide a peek into the future, then there are plenty of reasons for the Indians to get excited. The under-21 side lost to The Netherlands 3-0 in the semifinals on Sunday, but the scoreline does not tell the entire story. For three-quarters of the match, India looked their technically-superior opponents in the eye, didn’t give them respect any more than what was needed and in the opening 15 minutes, even outplayed them. The tears streaming down the faces of the Indian players, and the relieved look on the Dutch faces after the full time provided a more accurate account of the match. Heading into the tournament, The Netherlands, who’ve won the most number of titles (three) were the odds-on favourites to lift the trophy once again. They display...

8Apr

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Mother pushes vegetable cart on Lucknow street, daughter Mumtaz stars in Junior hockey World Cup

ALONG A narrow, bustling street at Topkhana Bazar in Lucknow, Qaiser Jahan stood under the summer sun with her vegetable cart, tending to a rush of customers before Friday prayers. Around the same time, at a university ground in Potchefstroom in South Africa, her daughter Mumtaz slid in from the right of the goalpost on one knee, flung her hockey stick forward and deflected the ball past South Korea’s goalkeeper. The courageous goal set the tone for India’s 3-0 win over South Korea in the quarterfinals of the Junior World Cup, making sure the team reached the last-four stage of the competition for only the second time in history. Qaiser Jahan, however, could not watch her 19-year-old daughter’s heroics, which earned the Player of the Match award. “That was a busy hour for me,” she said,...

8Apr

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FIH Pro League: Indian women stun Netherlands 2-1 in first match

The Indian women’s hockey team stunned Olympic champions Netherlands 2-1 in the first match of their double leg FIH Pro League tie here on Saturday. The Indians scored through Neha (11th minute) and Sonika (28th), both from penalty corners, to hand the home team a 2-0 lead at half time. After the change of ends, the Netherlands scored from a penalty corner through Jansen Yibbi in the 40th minute to reduce the margin. This was India’s fourth win in the FIH Pro League. Congratulations to our Player Of The Match Navneet Kaur for the splendid performance to ensure an assuring victory against Netherlands.#IndiaKaGame #HockeyIndia #FIHProLeague #HockeyAtItsBest @CMO_Odisha @sports_odisha @IndiaSports @Media_SAI pic.twitter.com/66lLKxMPP4 — Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) April 8, 2022 Even ...

4Apr

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Junior hockey World Cup: Goalkeeper Bichu shows promise as future custodian of India’s hopes

When Romen Singh Kharibam heard about his youngest daughter’s heroics during India’s Under-21 World Cup match on Sunday, he had a rush of emotions unlike anything he had experienced before. “I was in tears,” Kharibam says. “Ek aankh mein khushi ka tha, ek dukh ka (in one eye, there were tears of joy; in the other, of sorrow).” ‘Khushi’, he says, because ‘Binchu’ – as they call her at home, but known as Bichu in the hockey world – had shown why she is seen as the next big prospect in Indian hockey. ‘Dukh’, because he wasn’t able to watch her coming-of-age performance. “No one in the family has seen her play, actually. It’s not affordable for the family to travel to watch her play even in India. And we are not that tech-savvy to watch the games on phone,” Romen, 52, says. Had he watched h...

3Apr

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Jr Women’s Hockey World Cup: Goalkeeper Kharibam thwarts Germany to take India into last eight

Every two minutes, on average, a rampaging German under-21 team entered the Indian ‘D’ in a desperate attempt to reduce the deficit. They took 22 shots in all at the Indian goal. On most days, this kind of dominance would have been enough for Germany to not just erase the two-goal advantage India enjoyed but perhaps even pump in a few more. Not on Sunday, though. And the reason was largely one – India’s goalkeeper, Bichu Devi Kharibam. The 21-year-old made nearly a dozen saves, pulled off a blinder to thwart a German penalty stroke – diving low to her right and flinging her stick to stop the ball from going in – and, along with a stubborn defence, made sure the European heavyweights could not convert any of their eight penalty corners. Our GOALIE is a KEEPER 💙 For the way he stood betw...

2Apr

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FIH Pro League: India to play rescheduled double header against Germany on April 14-15

The FIH Hockey Men’s Pro League double header between India and Germany was postponed after a COVID-19 outbreak in the visitors’ camp last month, was on Saturday rescheduled to April 14 and 15. The announcement comes a day after Hockey India received a confirmation from the International Hockey Federation. The matches will be played at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The last time the two teams met was during the bronze medal match at the Tokyo Olympic Games where India prevailed 5-4 in a thrilling match to earn a historic podium after a gap of 41 years. The Indian men’s team and Germany were originally scheduled to play on March 12 and 13, but the matches had to be postponed after several members of the German squad tested positive for COVID-19. Welcoming the German team...

1Apr

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Veteran Sushila Chanu backs India to win gold in Jr Women’s Hockey World Cup

She captained India to a bronze medal finish in the 2013 Women’s Junior Hockey World Cup and veteran Sushila Chanu feels the Salima Tete-led side has the potential to go two steps further and claim a maiden gold in the edition that begins on Friday. The Indian team will begin its campaign in Pool D against Wales on Saturday in Potchefstroom, South Africa before taking on formidable Germany on Sunday. The Indians will then take on Malaysia in their final pool match before the quarterfinal round which starts on April 8. “This is a really tight-knit group with excellent understanding between each other on the field, and off field as well. They have trained together as a group for a long time, and even played practice matches against the senior women’s team in the national camp at SAI Benga...

17Feb

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FIH Women’s World Cup: India grouped with England, New Zealand and China

The Indian team has been grouped along with England, New Zealand and China in pool B in the upcoming FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup, the country’s governing body for the sport said on Thursday. The tournament will be held in Spain and Netherlands from July 1. The Indian team recently secured its qualification for the World Cup after finishing third in the Asia Cup in Muscat. Speaking about competition in their pool, India goalkeeper Savita said, “It is a tough pool with England (world No.3) and New Zealand (world No.8) who are ranked above us and China can always spring a surprise. Here are the Pools for the FIH Hockey Women's World Cup Spain and Netherlands 2022. The tournament to be played from 1 July – 17 July 2022.#HWC2022 #HockeyInvites pic.twitter.com/7voU6jP2UX — International ...

16Feb

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HI surprised by Batra’s strong missive, to meet IOA chief this week

Taken aback by Narinder Batra’s strongly-worded message seeking explanation for the men’s hockey team’s inconsistent show, officials of the national federation will meet the Indian Olympic Association president this week even as a former great expressed surprise at his “interference”. IOA chief Batra, who also heads the International Hockey Federation (FIH), termed the Indian men’s hockey team’s performance in recent tournaments as “unacceptable,” and asked Hockey India to explain the reasons behind it in a message circulated on Tuesday. In the strongly-worded communication to HI president Gyanendro Ningombam, secretary general Rajinder Singh and CEO Elena Norman, Batra said he has serious concerns about the team’s performance after the historic bronze at the Tokyo Olympics. “The letter...

14Feb

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FIH Pro League: France expose old Indian hockey frailties

In the space of 20 seconds during the break between the third and fourth quarters against France, Gregg Clark used the word ‘patience’ four times in his address to the players. At first, it was directed at drag-flickers Harmanpreet Singh and Jugraj Singh, who were repeatedly thwarted by the French defenders. By the time the huddle broke and the team dispersed, Clark, in a stern yet calm tone, passed the same instruction to every player. As the former junior India chief coach, when it was led by Manpreet Singh, Clark – now the assistant coach of the Manpreet-led senior side – is aware of the players’ mindsets. And he knows old habits die hard. Indian hockey has taken giant steps between 2013, when Clark coached the junior team, and now. But a couple of aspects have remained constant – in...

11Feb

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Hockey Pro League: Unbeaten Indian men’s team look to end South Africa sojourn on winning note

Having begun their FIH Hockey Pro League 2021/2022 campaign with two comprehensive wins on the trot, a confident India men’s hockey team will hope to keep the juggernaut rolling when it takes on France on Saturday. In the opening match, India beat France 5-0 where Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, Shamsher Singh, Mandeep Singh and Akashdeep Singh, who was playing his 200th international match, scored goals. “It was good to start off the campaign with a win. Our first quarter was patchy but after the first quarter we played a rather composed game. We played to our structure and converted from the chances we created,” stated India skipper Manpreet Singh. Despite the win, Manpreet believes France is an unpredictable team and on a good day they can pull off a surprise any team. “It’s importan...

8Feb

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India outclass France to open Pro League campaign

After the high of the Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo, the Indian men’s hockey team started 2022 in style, thrashing France 5-0 in their opening match of the FIH Pro League at Potchefstroom, South Africa, on Tuesday. Harmanpreet Singh and Varun Kumar got the first two goals from penalty corners before Shamsher Singh, Mandeep Singh and Akashdeep Singh found the target to secure a thoroughly one-sided verdict. India face hosts South Africa in their next FIH Pro League encounter on Wednesday. The Indians, under head coach Graham Reid, took time to get into groove as the French exerted some pressure in the opening quarter, which ended goalless. The few opportunities that India got – including two successive penalty corners – were repelled by resolute defending or wasted by errant shooting. It...

7Feb

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New Jugraj reminds one of original

“If you take the shortcut, Pakistan is just 1km from our house. So from a very young age, we have stayed away from shortcuts.” Sarabjit Singh is describing the place India’s ‘fastest drag-flicker’, Jugraj Singh, calls home. But the statement also captures his younger brother’s long road to the national team. Attari is largely known for two things: as the last Indian station on the rail route connecting Delhi and Lahore; and the flag-lowering ceremony at the Wagah-Attari crossing. In quick succession, though, the tiny village in Amritsar has produced two national team players. The first was forward Shamsher Singh, who won an Olympic bronze in Tokyo. On Tuesday, Jugraj – a versatile player who can play the roles of centre-half, full-back and drag-flicker – is set to make his debut when In...

28Jan

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Women’s Asia Cup hockey: India beat China 2-0 to win consolation bronze

Last edition champions India defeated China 2-0 to win a consolation bronze medal at the women’s Asia Cup hockey tournament here on Friday. The Indians left behind the disappointment of their semifinal defeat to Korea and controlled the proceedings in the first two quarters, scoring two goals in the process, to go into half time with a 2-0 lead against China. They, however, failed to score any more goals in the second half. The Indians started brightly and earned a couple of penalty corners and from one such situation, Sharmila Devi gave her side the lead in the 13th minute, scoring from a rebound after Gurjit Kaur’s initial flick was saved by the Chinese defence. India continued in the same vein in the second quarter and had the better share of chances. The Indians kept up the pressure...

27Jan

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Manpreet to lead India in FIH Pro League; Jugraj, Abhishek to make debuts

Star midfielder and Olympic bronze medal-winning captain Manpreet Singh will lead a 20-member strong Indian hockey team in the double-leg FIH Pro League ties against South Africa and France to be held between February 8 to 13. Manpreet will be assisted by ace dragflicker Harmanpreet Singh. Young dragflicker Jugraj Singh and striker Abhishek are the two new faces in thesquad. Jugraj, who is from Attari, came into the senior national camp for the very first time this time after he impressed the national selectors during the first Hockey India Senior Men Inter Department National Championship, where he turned up for Services Sports Control Board. Abhishek, on the other hand, is a striker who was earlier part of the junior program and had played for the India colts in Sultan of Johor Cup in...