India look to continue Pro League supremacy under new coach Fulton

India look to continue Pro League supremacy under new coach Fulton PTI Updated: May 26th, 2023, 08:00 IST in Sports 0 India beat Germany 6-3 in FIH Pro League (Image: TheHockeyIndia/Twitter) Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on WhatsApp Share on Linkedin London: A rejuvenated Indian men’s hockey team will look to carry on its fine form from the home leg and maintain its supremacy at the top of the standings when it begins the Europe sojourn of the FIH Pro League against Olympic champions Belgium here Friday. During the European leg of the tournament, India will also take on the Netherlands and Argentina in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. India overcame a disappointing World Cup campaign earlier this year to climb to the top of the 2022-23 Pro League table with an unbeaten record against world champions Germany and mighty Australia.

The Indians secured three outright wins from the Rourkela leg, while also winning a shootout bonus point in the fourth match against the Kookaburras. India are currently leading the table with 19 points from five outright victories from eight matches and two from shootouts. The Harmanpreet Singh-led side will look to carry on with their winning momentum when it takes on Belgium Friday and Great Britain Saturday in the Lee Valley Stadium here.

Hosts Great Britain will be riding on their recent success in Christchurch, New Zealand where they won 5-2 and 6-1 against New Zealand, and also beat Australia 2-1 and 3-3 (4-2 SO) to gather 19 points from eight games with four outright wins and three from shoot-outs. Belgium, on the other hand, will look to climb up the charts from their current seventh position. They have so far played just four matches in this edition of the Pro League and have won a match each against Argentina and Germany.

The Pro League matches in Europe will also be the first real test for India’s new chief coach Craig Fulton, and it remains to seen how he fits into the high-pressure job after taking over from Australian Graham Reid, who guided the side to a historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. India last played Great Britain in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics, which they 3-1. “Though we haven’t played Great Britain regularly, we are aware of the team and the players, and what they can bring to the table, particularly while playing in front of their home crowd,” said India vice-captain Hardik Singh.

Since 2016 Rio Olympics, India have played Belgium in 19 matches of which Belgium have won nine and India eight, with two matches ending in draws. India last played Belgium in Antwerp last year, where they lost 2-3 and won 3-3 (5-4 SO) in the previous edition of the Pro League. Harmanpreet said can’t wait to renew the rivalry against Belgium.

“As a team, India have built a healthy rivalry against Belgium particularly over the last 5-6 years. We enjoy playing this opponent and the team is always pumped up to do well against them,” he said. “If you look at the stats, we have always produced close encounters against Belgium.

The mind frame that we are in at the moment, we are confident of yet another good show against them,” added Harmanpreet, who also happens to be the highest scorer in the League so far with 11 goals. PTI Tags: Argentina Australia belgium Eindhoven FIH Pro League Germany Harmanpreet Singh India Lee Valley Stadium Olympic the Netherlands Share Tweet Send Share Suggest A Correction Enter your email to get our daily news in your inbox. Leave this field empty if you’re human: Related Posts Upbeat Mumbai Indians face IPL defending champions Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 May 26, 2023 UP has become ‘sangam’ of sportspersons: PM after inaugurating Khelo India University Games May 25, 2023 Delhi court seeks ATR from police on plea seeking FIR against protesting wrestlers: Lawyer May 25, 2023 AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar Qualifiers: India placed alongside UAE, Maldives & China May 25, 2023 Bharat would be obvious choice to go with in WTC final: Shastri May 25, 2023 Iniesta says he’s leaving Japanese club Vissel Kobe but wants to keep playing May 25, 2023 Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.

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