The Indian men's hockey team will resume their FIH Pro League campaign when they take on hosts Great Britain and world champions Germany in London in June. India will play their remaining four matches in this season's Pro League against the two teams, aiming to finish on a high as well as effectively use the opportunity to prepare for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
When do India play?
Germany vs India on June 1 at 2.30 pm IST.
Great Britain vs India on June 2 at 4.45 pm IST.
India vs Germany on June 8 at 9.45 pm IST.
Great Britain vs India on June 9 at 7 pm IST.
Pro League standings
India are currently third in the table after 12 matches, with 21 points to their name. They are behind the Netherlands (26 points) and Argentina (26 points). Craig Fulton's team will hope to end the season in the top three spots and push for three outright wins out of four matches. It's not going to be easy against two tough teams, but victories will give a big boost to their preparations for the Olympics.
The likes of Australia, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain are placed below India in the points table, but they've played fewer games so their rankings can improve.
The big picture for India
More than their spot on the points table, India captain Harmanpreet Singh and his team will strive for consistency as well as achieving positive results. In their previous games against Argentina and Belgium in Antwerp, India drew twice, lost once and won one match. While these are not 'bad' results per se, performance wise, India needed to push more.
In the Antwerp leg, India played their best in the final match against Argentina where they scored five goals and won the match 5-4. More than the goals, it was their attacking hockey that stood out as they consistently made chances throughout the four quarters. Coach Craig Fulton should ensure India replicate this attacking style against Great Britain and Germany. India will have to create and take their chances rather than being passive and wait for the counter-attack.
Of course, Fulton's India plays differently than Graham Reid's team. The main focus of the current team is achieving control and being effective in their counter-attacking opportunities. But in past games, especially during the Australian series and the recent 4-1 loss against Belgium, India sat way too deep for far too long. In these matches, the defence came under relentless pressure and India eventually conceded late, going on to lose.
Both Great Britain and Germany play attacking hockey. If India are held back for too long and stay away from the ball, their defence will come under huge pressure. Fulton should ensure India strike a good balance in their style. More importantly, they need to get their attacking hockey right because there are not many opportunities left before they arrive in Paris for the ultimate competition - the Olympics.
The Indian hockey team takes the lead with a stunning strike by Hundal Araijeet Singh! ����#HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #FIHProLeague #IndiaMensTeam
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.@FIH_Hockey @CMO_Odisha @sports_odisha @IndiaSports @Media_SAI @Limca_Official @CocaCola_Ind pic.twitter.com/OdGxUok0we- Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) May 26, 2024
The other aspect of improving the attacking game is that it brings Harmanpreet Singh into the match. In the win over Argentina, India were a lot better going forward and therefore they created chances for Harmanpreet, who ended up scoring a hat trick - two goals from penalty strokes and one from a penalty corner. It's important for India to create penalty corner opportunities for Harmanpreet, he's India's most lethal goal scorer and he should be in form going to Paris.
Who are the Indian players to watch out for?
The focus should be on the forwards in the upcoming Pro League contests as India aim to improve their goal-scoring prowess. Araijeet Singh Hundal has been in good scoring form along with Abhishek, the team will hope both players are at their best against two tough opponents. India looked more threatening going forward with Araijeet, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh and Gurjant Singh on the field when compared to their senior colleagues like Mandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh and Lalit Upadhyay.
Not all of the youngsters will make it to the final Olympic squad, so these four matches will be their last chance to impress and make it to the team that will travel to Paris.
What they said?
Harmanpreet Singh:
"The aim in these upcoming matches will be to get out of our blocks early, work on our combinations and positioning to make sure we play to the best of our abilities. We are aware that the London stage of FIH Hockey Pro League will be crucial in our preparations for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics, hence we are looking forward to taking on Germany and Great Britain."