Rotterdam, June 20: A mixed bag of a campaign so far, India would look to the end the Dutch leg of the FIH Pro League on a high when they take on hosts Netherlands in the return leg here on Sunday.
Ranked eight in the FIH chart, India started with a narrow 2-3 loss against world no.2 the Netherlands before stunning world champions Germany 3-1. They then suffered a 1-2 loss against the Germans in the return leg on Thursday.
Placed eighth in the nine-team Pro League standings, the Indians, who are taking this tournament to try and test their resources before the World Cup and Asian Games later this year, will look to end the Dutch leg on a high note with a positive result.
The match against the Netherlands holds huge significance for India as after that they will travel to England to play against the hosts as well as against arch-rivals Pakistan.
The Harmanpreet Singh-led side will take on Pakistan in London on June 23, before taking on hosts England. They face Pakistan again on June 26.
India will round off their Pro League campaign with a return leg match against England on June 28.
It will be the first time that India and Pakistan will lock horns since the Asian Champions Trophy clash in Hulunbuir, China, in 2024 which India won 2-1, thanks to captain Harmanpreet’s brace.
The European leg of the Pro League has witnessed some close matches for India against higher-ranked sides and it only remains to be seen how chief coach Craig Fulton motivates his men to lift their game and end on the positive side of results.
For Fulton, all these outings are a platform to test his resources and bench strength to build a well-oiled squad for the World Cup and the Asian Games, which a qualifier for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Conceding late goals has been India’s perennial problem and that aspect again came to light in their last match against Germany.
Leading 1-0 till the 56th minute, India conceded two penalty corner goals in the last six minutes, the last of which came just a few seconds before the final whistle to end on the losing side.
The second match against Germany was a milestone moment for Indian midfield stalwart Manpreet Singh as he surpassed Dilip Tirkey to be the most capped Indian hockey player with 413 appearances.
And being the senior-most player of the side, come Sunday, Manpreet would look to inspire India to come out with a positive result.
Fulton will also be desperate to end the Dutch leg on a high, which will do wonders for the confidence of the side going forward in a crucial year. (PTI)
