FIH Pro League: India's test against Belgium, as both men's and women's teams take on hosts

IANS June 20, 2025 306 views

The Indian men's hockey team hopes to salvage pride in their final FIH Pro League matches against Belgium after a disappointing run. Meanwhile, the women's team, led by Salima Tete, aims to challenge world No. 3 Belgium with renewed strategy. Hardik Singh admits the team's struggles despite strong performances, emphasizing the need for better execution. Both teams will play back-to-back matches in Antwerp, seeking crucial wins before wrapping up their European leg.

"The results have not gone as planned, and it's not that we have played badly. It hurts more when you play well but don't convert." – Hardik Singh
Antwerp, June 20: Indian men's team outing in the ongoing FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 hasn't gone as per the script. Finishing in the top 3 and vying for a World Cup berth were on their minds when they left India for the European leg.

Key Points

1

Indian men's team seeks redemption after six straight losses

2

Women's team looks to upset world No. 3 Belgium

3

Hardik Singh emphasizes tighter defense and better finishing

4

Salima Tete draws confidence from past close encounters

After six straight losses, the Indian men's hockey team will now take on their nemesis in modern hockey Belgium, who come into the game tomorrow with a 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, the Indian men's team has slipped to the eighth position in the current pool standings and with two matches to go, the team will look to end their campaign with a consolation win.

Putting things into perspective, vice captain 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 the 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 team 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."

The Indian men's and women's teams will take on Belgium in a double-header on June 21 and 22.

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Tough to see our men's team struggling like this after the Olympic bronze high. But Belgium is always a tough opponent - hope they can end on a positive note! Women's team seems more promising though 💪
P
Priya M.
Our players need better psychological conditioning. They play well but can't handle pressure in crucial moments. Maybe need foreign sports psychologists like cricket team has. Still proud of their efforts though!
A
Amit S.
Belgium has been our achilles heel since Rio 2016. But remember how we beat them in Tokyo? That's the spirit we need to bring back. Chak De India! 🇮🇳🏑
S
Sneha R.
Salima Tete sounds so confident! Our women's team has been punching above their weight. Even if they don't win, their fighting spirit is commendable. More attention should be given to women's hockey.
V
Vikram J.
The problem is our domestic hockey structure. We produce talented players but lack consistent high-level competition. Need more international exposure tours like cricket team gets. Hockey India should plan better.
N
Neha P.
Why aren't these matches being shown on mainstream sports channels? Only cricket gets coverage. If we want hockey to grow, we need better broadcasting. #SupportIndianHockey

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Tags:
FIH Pro League India vs Belgium hockey Hardik Singh Salima Tete Indian hockey