New Delhi: The Indian men’s hockey team ended its campaign in the FIH Pro League 2023-24 with 24 points from 16 matches. This includes 5 wins, 5 losses and six draws. India is currently fourth in the points table.
9 teams including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, India, Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Spain and Ireland participated in this tournament.
The FIH Pro League 2023-24 will continue till June 30 but India played their 16th and final match on Sunday, bringing an end to a competitive and important season.
On the team’s performance, captain Harmanpreet Singh said, “The FIH Pro League 2023-24 has been an incredible journey for us. Some of our wins against strong teams like Netherlands 2-2 (4-2 shootout), Argentina (5-4) and Germany (3-0) highlight the hard work and determination of our team. We have shown good teamwork throughout the tournament.” The India captain emerged as a star performer and was the top scorer in the tournament for India. With 12 goals to his name, he is also currently the joint-leading goalscorer of the tournament along with Australia’s Blake Govers and Netherlands’ Jip Janssen.
Harmanpreet also stressed the importance of this tournament for preparation for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
“This league has been crucial in helping us understand our strengths and areas of improvement. Competing with top-tier teams has given us important insights about our game. We now know where we stand and what we need to work on to perform at our best on the global stage,” he said.
India will now take a short break before returning for a camp in Bangalore where it will look to fine-tune its strategies and focus on key areas.
“We have identified specific aspects of our game that need attention and the upcoming camp will be crucial in working on those areas. Our aim is to improve our performance and ensure that we are fully prepared for the Paris Olympics,” the skipper added.
