Striker Mandeep Singh scored a hat-trick as India outplayed Canada 7-3 to book a summit clash berth in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament here on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old Mandeep fired in three quick goals (20th, 27th and 29th minutes), all of them coming in the second quarter, after Varun Kumar had given India the lead in the 12th minute of the high-scoring match.

At the half time, India were 4-0 up in the match before Canada reduced the margin through a strike from Mark Pearson in the 35th minute.

Amit Rohidas (39th), Vivek Prasad (55th) and Nilakanta Sharma (58th) struck later to take the game beyond the reach of the Canadians who scored two late goals through Fin Boothroyd (50th) and James Wallace (57th).&nbsp;

With the win, India continued their unbeaten run in the tournament, with three wins and a draw to top the round-robin league table with 10 points. They are now assured of a place in the final to be played on March 30, with a game in hand.

India play their final league match against Poland on Friday.

Korea are at second place with seven points while hosts Malaysia and Canada are on six points each ahead of their final league matches after a rest day on Thursday.&nbsp;

Striker Mandeep Singh scored a hat-trick as India outplayed Canada 7-3 to book a summit clash berth in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament here on Wednesday.

Striker Mandeep Singh scored a hat-trick as India outplayed Canada 7-3 to book a summit clash berth in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament here on Wednesday. The 24-year-old Mandeep fired in three quick goals (20th, 27th and 29th minutes), all of them coming in the second quarter, after Varun Kumar had given India the lead in the 12th minute of the high-scoring match. At the half time, India were 4-0 up in the match before Canada reduced the margin through a strike from Mark Pearson in the 35th minute. Amit Rohidas (39th), Vivek Prasad (55th) and Nilakanta Sharma (58th) struck later to take the game beyond the reach of the Canadians who scored two late goals through Fin Boothroyd (50th) and James Wallace (57th). With the win, India continued their unbeaten run in the tournament, with three wins and a draw to top the round-robin league table with 10 points. They are now assured of a place in the final to be played on March 30, with a game in hand. India play their final league match against Poland on Friday. Korea are at second place with seven points while hosts Malaysia and Canada are on six points each ahead of their final league matches after a rest day on Thursday.

India thrash Canada 7-3, enter final of Azlan Shah hockey tournament

Indian skipper Manpreet Singh has been honoured with the 2018 Player of the Year award by the Asian Hockey Federation while women's team striker Lalremsiami bagged the Rising Player of The Year prize.&nbsp;

Manpreet led the Indian team to an unbeaten streak at the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat where the team was declared joint winners with Pakistan.&nbsp;

He also contributed to the team's silver medal win at the FIH Champions Trophy in Breda and continues to remain instrumental in the Indian midfield.&nbsp;

The 18-year-old Lalremsiami, on the other hand, has shown remarkable progress in the women's team with her impressive performance as a striker at the 2018 World Cup, the Asian Games where the team won a historic silver.&nbsp;

She was also a part of the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires where the under-18 team won a silver.&nbsp;

The Indian men's team was awarded the Best Performance of The Year for being the only Asian side to have reached the top eight at the World Cup in Bhubaneswar.&nbsp;

The team also came up with a historic silver medal feat at the FIH Champions Trophy in Breda, repeating its success from the 2016 edition.&nbsp;

Indian skipper Manpreet Singh has been honoured with the 2018 Player of the Year award by the Asian Hockey Federation while women's team striker Lalremsiami bagged the Rising Player of The Year prize.

Indian skipper Manpreet Singh has been honoured with the 2018 Player of the Year award by the Asian Hockey Federation while women's team striker Lalremsiami bagged the Rising Player of The Year prize. Manpreet led the Indian team to an unbeaten streak at the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat where the team was declared joint winners with Pakistan. He also contributed to the team's silver medal win at the FIH Champions Trophy in Breda and continues to remain instrumental in the Indian midfield. The 18-year-old Lalremsiami, on the other hand, has shown remarkable progress in the women's team with her impressive performance as a striker at the 2018 World Cup, the Asian Games where the team won a historic silver. She was also a part of the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires where the under-18 team won a silver. The Indian men's team was awarded the Best Performance of The Year for being the only Asian side to have reached the top eight at the World Cup in Bhubaneswar. The team also came up with a historic silver medal feat at the FIH Champions Trophy in Breda, repeating its success from the 2016 edition.

Manpreet Singh named 2018 Player of the Year by Asian hockey body

Expecting the Netherlands to be their quarterfinal opponents in the World Cup, India captain Manpreet Singh Tuesday said they will continue to play attacking hockey in a game where there will be no margin for error.

India's quarterfinal opponents will be decided later in the evening after the conclusion of the fourth cross-over match between world no. 4 Netherlands and Canada.

Like everyone else, Manpreet too expects the Dutch to sail into the last-eight round.

"We are expecting Holland to come through because they are a much better team. But whoever goes through our aim would be to give our best. It is a knockout, do-or-die match and there is no second chance. We can't afford to miss chances. At the same time, we need to be cautious and give less chances," the midfielder said.

"We need to play attacking hockey, our strength. When we try to play defensive, we tend to be too much defensive which provides more chances to opponents. We need to put pressure on them (from the start)," Manpreet explained.

The skipper said utilising chances would be crucial to success in the quarter-final.

"But it will be a very tough match and whichever team utilises its chances will win," he said.

"If you progress to the semi-finals you always have an option of finishing in the podium. You are just one match away from a medal. But if you lose in the quarterfinals, you don't get a second option.

"In the end it all boils down to how we play. If we get good chances and miss them and obviously the opposition team will take advantage of it," he added.

Manpreet listed out a series of dos and don'ts if they are pitted against three-time champions Netherlands.

"In the past we had good matches against Holland. In the Champions Trophy we drew with Holland. We have also defeated them in the past.

"Our aim would be to strengthen our defence. Holland has very good and experienced midfield. They also have good strikers. So, our aim would be to break their moves early. We can't give them easy chances and also need to convert our chances," he said.

Manpreet said the Hockey India League played a big part in the progress of the Indian team.

"Before HIL we didn't knew these players of Holland, Australia etc. But since HIL started we all know each other having played against them and shared the dressing room with them. The team has improved a lot after HIL," he said.

Manpreet didn't play the entire match against Canada in their last pool match because of fever but he has since recovered and will be a key figure in India's midfield on Thursday.

"I am fine now. In the last match I had fever so I couldn't play the full match. But I am feeling better now," he said.&nbsp;

Expecting the Netherlands to be their quarterfinal opponents in the World Cup, India captain Manpreet Singh Tuesday said they will continue to play attacking hockey in a game where there will be no margin for error.

Expecting the Netherlands to be their quarterfinal opponents in the World Cup, India captain Manpreet Singh Tuesday said they will continue to play attacking hockey in a game where there will be no margin for error. India's quarterfinal opponents will be decided later in the evening after the conclusion of the fourth cross-over match between world no. 4 Netherlands and Canada. Like everyone else, Manpreet too expects the Dutch to sail into the last-eight round. "We are expecting Holland to come through because they are a much better team. But whoever goes through our aim would be to give our best. It is a knockout, do-or-die match and there is no second chance. We can't afford to miss chances. At the same time, we need to be cautious and give less chances," the midfielder said. "We need to play attacking hockey, our strength. When we try to play defensive, we tend to be too much defensive which provides more chances to opponents. We need to put pressure on them (from the start)," Manpreet explained. The skipper said utilising chances would be crucial to success in the quarter-final. "But it will be a very tough match and whichever team utilises its chances will win," he said. "If you progress to the semi-finals you always have an option of finishing in the podium. You are just one match away from a medal. But if you lose in the quarterfinals, you don't get a second option. "In the end it all boils down to how we play. If we get good chances and miss them and obviously the opposition team will take advantage of it," he added. Manpreet listed out a series of dos and don'ts if they are pitted against three-time champions Netherlands. "In the past we had good matches against Holland. In the Champions Trophy we drew with Holland. We have also defeated them in the past. "Our aim would be to strengthen our defence. Holland has very good and experienced midfield. They also have good strikers. So, our aim would be to break their moves early. We can't give them easy chances and also need to convert our chances," he said. Manpreet said the Hockey India League played a big part in the progress of the Indian team. "Before HIL we didn't knew these players of Holland, Australia etc. But since HIL started we all know each other having played against them and shared the dressing room with them. The team has improved a lot after HIL," he said. Manpreet didn't play the entire match against Canada in their last pool match because of fever but he has since recovered and will be a key figure in India's midfield on Thursday. "I am fine now. In the last match I had fever so I couldn't play the full match. But I am feeling better now," he said.

Attacking hockey is India's strength and we will not deviate, says skipper Manpreet

The nail-biting clash between India and Belgium ended in a 2-2 draw after the Red Lions equalised in the last minutes of the game, following a poor defensive performance by the Indian backline on Sunday.

India, who mounted a comeback of sorts against Belgium after trailing early on against the visitors, were leading when only seven minutes were remaining for the game to end.&nbsp;

The 'Men in Blue' got the upper hand following a brilliant goal by Simranjeet Singh, who has been sensational in the tournament so far.

Earlier, the team which went goalless in the first two quarters scored the equaliser, thanks to a deft goal by Harmanpreet Singh.&nbsp;

Belgium, which had the maximum possession in the game, were on attacking mode since the first pass and that was the reason they managed to register&nbsp;an early goal. The team scored in the first quarter following a slick finish by the attackers who have dominated the entire game.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
🏑 | The celebrations continue 😻 with fans!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HWC2018?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HWC2018</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Odisha2018?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Odisha2018</a> 
🇮🇳 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvBEL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvBEL</a> 🇧🇪 <a href="https://t.co/z925zQIYp4">pic.twitter.com/z925zQIYp4</a>
— Hockey World Cup 2018 - Host Partner (@sports_odisha) <a href="https://twitter.com/sports_odisha/status/1069250707293843456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

At a point, India had the chances of defeating Belgium, but the attackers struggled to make their presence felt in a vital clash like today. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The team will next face Canada in their final Pool C match on December 8, while Belgium will play South Africa on the same day.

The nail-biting clash between India and Belgium ended in a 2-2 draw after the Red Lions equalised in the last minutes of the game, following a poor defensive performance by the Indian backline on Sunday.

The nail-biting clash between India and Belgium ended in a 2-2 draw after the Red Lions equalised in the last minutes of the game, following a poor defensive performance by the Indian backline on Sunday. India, who mounted a comeback of sorts against Belgium after trailing early on against the visitors, were leading when only seven minutes were remaining for the game to end. The 'Men in Blue' got the upper hand following a brilliant goal by Simranjeet Singh, who has been sensational in the tournament so far. Earlier, the team which went goalless in the first two quarters scored the equaliser, thanks to a deft goal by Harmanpreet Singh. Belgium, which had the maximum possession in the game, were on attacking mode since the first pass and that was the reason they managed to register an early goal. The team scored in the first quarter following a slick finish by the attackers who have dominated the entire game. 🏑 | The celebrations continue 😻 with fans!#HWC2018 #Odisha2018 🇮🇳 #INDvBEL 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/z925zQIYp4 — Hockey World Cup 2018 - Host Partner (@sports_odisha) December 2, 2018 × At a point, India had the chances of defeating Belgium, but the attackers struggled to make their presence felt in a vital clash like today. The team will next face Canada in their final Pool C match on December 8, while Belgium will play South Africa on the same day.

Hockey World Cup 2018: India, Belgium settle for 2-2 draw

WION Exclusive: Team India stars look ahead to 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup

Weighing under a sea of expectations to regain the title after 43 years, India will have to top their pool to have a realistic chance of breaking their World Cup jinx, said High Performance Director David John on Thursday.

Ranked fifth, India are placed in Pool C alongside current Olympic silver medallist and world no. 3 Belgium, South Africa and Canada.

John said India will need to beat Belgium in the pool stages to avoid cross-over round and directly qualify for the quarterfinals to enhance their chances.

"We have a very balanced team and conditions are also in our favour. There is tremendous expectations from us and we know that. But we need to top our pool. We need to beat Belgium and avoid cross-overs," John told PTI.

India will open their campaign against South Africa on November 28 before squaring off against Belgium and Canada on October 2 and October 8 respectively.

Citing the example of the women's World Cup where India had to play the cross-overs after finishing third in their pool, the exercise physiologist-turned High Performance Director said an extra game plays a big part in such a long tournament.

In the women's hockey World Cup held in London earlier this year, India entered the quarterfinals via the cross-over route but failed to cross the last-eight hurdle, losing to Ireland in penalty shoot-off.

"Take the example of our women's team, we made the quarterfinals after winning our cross-over match but that extra match drained our girls. That extra match will always take a toll on the fitness of the players," said the Australian.

"So we need to avoid cross-overs and win against Belgium."

Only last month, John was dropped from the men's senior selection panel for showing "bias" against some senior players and preferring juniors, but the

Hockey India selectors seemed to have heeded to some extent to the Australian's views while selecting the World Cup side.

Hockey India named a relatively mixed team for the World Cup, leaving out senior players like Rupinder Pal Singh, SV Sunil and Ramandeep Singh. 
Even though he was not part of the selection panel, John seemed quite satisfied with the squad.

"It's not a young team, it's a mixture of youth and experience. We now have depth in the side. We don't have Rupinder but Varun (Kumar) is there to take his place. Dilpreet (Singh) has come of age in the absence of Ramandeep. So we now have the bench strength," John said.

"Rupinder is not fit. He suffered an injury on his knee during the camp and is not 100 per cent fit. Same goes with Ramandeep. The closest to retain full fitness was Sunil," he added.

Veteran midfielder Sardar Singh, who announced his retirement after the Asian Games, has blamed John and former coach Sjoerd Marijne for his sudden decision to quit.

Asked about the accusation, John only said: "We need to look forward and create adequate bench strength keeping in mind 2020 Olympics."

Weighing under a sea of expectations to regain the title after 43 years, India will have to top their pool to have a realistic chance of breaking their World Cup jinx, said High Performance Director David John on Thursday.

Weighing under a sea of expectations to regain the title after 43 years, India will have to top their pool to have a realistic chance of breaking their World Cup jinx, said High Performance Director David John on Thursday. Ranked fifth, India are placed in Pool C alongside current Olympic silver medallist and world no. 3 Belgium, South Africa and Canada. John said India will need to beat Belgium in the pool stages to avoid cross-over round and directly qualify for the quarterfinals to enhance their chances. "We have a very balanced team and conditions are also in our favour. There is tremendous expectations from us and we know that. But we need to top our pool. We need to beat Belgium and avoid cross-overs," John told PTI. India will open their campaign against South Africa on November 28 before squaring off against Belgium and Canada on October 2 and October 8 respectively. Citing the example of the women's World Cup where India had to play the cross-overs after finishing third in their pool, the exercise physiologist-turned High Performance Director said an extra game plays a big part in such a long tournament. In the women's hockey World Cup held in London earlier this year, India entered the quarterfinals via the cross-over route but failed to cross the last-eight hurdle, losing to Ireland in penalty shoot-off. "Take the example of our women's team, we made the quarterfinals after winning our cross-over match but that extra match drained our girls. That extra match will always take a toll on the fitness of the players," said the Australian. "So we need to avoid cross-overs and win against Belgium." Only last month, John was dropped from the men's senior selection panel for showing "bias" against some senior players and preferring juniors, but the Hockey India selectors seemed to have heeded to some extent to the Australian's views while selecting the World Cup side. Hockey India named a relatively mixed team for the World Cup, leaving out senior players like Rupinder Pal Singh, SV Sunil and Ramandeep Singh. Even though he was not part of the selection panel, John seemed quite satisfied with the squad. "It's not a young team, it's a mixture of youth and experience. We now have depth in the side. We don't have Rupinder but Varun (Kumar) is there to take his place. Dilpreet (Singh) has come of age in the absence of Ramandeep. So we now have the bench strength," John said. "Rupinder is not fit. He suffered an injury on his knee during the camp and is not 100 per cent fit. Same goes with Ramandeep. The closest to retain full fitness was Sunil," he added. Veteran midfielder Sardar Singh, who announced his retirement after the Asian Games, has blamed John and former coach Sjoerd Marijne for his sudden decision to quit. Asked about the accusation, John only said: "We need to look forward and create adequate bench strength keeping in mind 2020 Olympics."

Hockey World Cup: 'India need to beat Belgium and top pool to be podium contenders'

PR Sreejesh&#39;s decision to play in Virat Kohli&#39;s charity football match might have raised a few eyebrows but India&#39;s premier hockey goalkeeper might well just get away with a reprieve, at least this time.&nbsp;

Indian hockey team&#39;s regular captain Sreejesh played a &#39;Celebrity Clasico&#39; in October this year in Mumbai, featuring the country&#39;s top sports and Bollywood stars, including India cricket captain Virat and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.&nbsp;

During that period Srejeesh was on a break but what went against him was that he was recuperating from a serious injury that time after being sidelined from the national team following the Azlan Shah Cup in May earlier this year.

There were reports that Sreejesh&#39;s action didn&#39;t go down well with the team management but he might just get away as Hockey India is yet to initiate any disciplinary action against him.

&quot;Yes, it came to our notice but we didn&#39;t initiate any disciplinary action as yet. We are currently busy with the Hockey World League Final and no disciplinary meeting has been called,&quot; Hockey India CEO Elena Norman, who is also a member of the Disciplinary Committee, told PTI.

Another member of the Disciplinary Committee is completely in dark about the issue and said he only came to know about the matter when contacted today.

&quot;It&#39;s news to me. I only came to know about the matter today. I am not aware of any Disciplinary Committee meeting. I haven&#39;t been told anything by Hockey India as yet. Any progress on this matter will take place, if it has to, only after the Hockey World League Final,&quot; said the senior member of the committee.

Considered as the best in his business, Sreejesh has been the backbone of Indian hockey since his debut and his brilliance under the bar won India many matches, which includes the 2014 Asian Games gold in Incheon.&nbsp;

In May this year, Sreejesh had torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia and since then he has been out of the side. India is desperately hoping for Sreejesh to recover soon especially with a busy 2018 lined up.

But Sreejesh&#39;s action is in serious breach of Hockey India&#39;s Code of Conduct and he faces the risk of four months suspension.

&quot;Sreejesh is a role model for young hockey players and his actions will leave an impact on them. Even though I don&#39;t know whose permission he took to play in the match just when he was recovering an injury, I feel he should have avoided it thinking about his own and nation&#39;s cause,&quot; the Disciplinary Committee member, said.

&quot;Having said that he never had any disciplinary issues in the past, so I feel he will escape with a warning. India need Sreejesh services.&quot;

But the big question which is making round is that just whose permission did India&#39;s premier goalkeeper take to play in the &#39;Celebrity Classico&#39;.

&quot;Sreejesh didn&#39;t ask Hockey India before playing in the match. We don&#39;t have anything on record,&quot; the HI CEO said.&nbsp;

&quot;He might have taken permission from his coaches, physio or the High Performance Manager,&quot; she said.

High Performance Manager David John, however, said he was not approached by Sreejesh.

&quot;I was not asked. During that period I was not in India. I was with the team in Dhaka for the Asia Cup,&quot; John said.

When contacted, Sreejesh refused to comment on the issue.

&quot;I won&#39;t like to comment anything on the issue. We will talk later,&quot; he said before disconnecting the phone.&nbsp;

Indian hockey team's regular captain Sreejesh played a 'Celebrity Clasico' in October this year in Mumbai

PR Sreejesh's decision to play in Virat Kohli's charity football match might have raised a few eyebrows but India's premier hockey goalkeeper might well just get away with a reprieve, at least this time. Indian hockey team's regular captain Sreejesh played a 'Celebrity Clasico' in October this year in Mumbai, featuring the country's top sports and Bollywood stars, including India cricket captain Virat and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. During that period Srejeesh was on a break but what went against him was that he was recuperating from a serious injury that time after being sidelined from the national team following the Azlan Shah Cup in May earlier this year. There were reports that Sreejesh's action didn't go down well with the team management but he might just get away as Hockey India is yet to initiate any disciplinary action against him. "Yes, it came to our notice but we didn't initiate any disciplinary action as yet. We are currently busy with the Hockey World League Final and no disciplinary meeting has been called," Hockey India CEO Elena Norman, who is also a member of the Disciplinary Committee, told PTI. Another member of the Disciplinary Committee is completely in dark about the issue and said he only came to know about the matter when contacted today. "It's news to me. I only came to know about the matter today. I am not aware of any Disciplinary Committee meeting. I haven't been told anything by Hockey India as yet. Any progress on this matter will take place, if it has to, only after the Hockey World League Final," said the senior member of the committee. Considered as the best in his business, Sreejesh has been the backbone of Indian hockey since his debut and his brilliance under the bar won India many matches, which includes the 2014 Asian Games gold in Incheon. In May this year, Sreejesh had torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia and since then he has been out of the side. India is desperately hoping for Sreejesh to recover soon especially with a busy 2018 lined up. But Sreejesh's action is in serious breach of Hockey India's Code of Conduct and he faces the risk of four months suspension. "Sreejesh is a role model for young hockey players and his actions will leave an impact on them. Even though I don't know whose permission he took to play in the match just when he was recovering an injury, I feel he should have avoided it thinking about his own and nation's cause," the Disciplinary Committee member, said. "Having said that he never had any disciplinary issues in the past, so I feel he will escape with a warning. India need Sreejesh services." But the big question which is making round is that just whose permission did India's premier goalkeeper take to play in the 'Celebrity Classico'. "Sreejesh didn't ask Hockey India before playing in the match. We don't have anything on record," the HI CEO said. "He might have taken permission from his coaches, physio or the High Performance Manager," she said. High Performance Manager David John, however, said he was not approached by Sreejesh. "I was not asked. During that period I was not in India. I was with the team in Dhaka for the Asia Cup," John said. When contacted, Sreejesh refused to comment on the issue. "I won't like to comment anything on the issue. We will talk later," he said before disconnecting the phone.

PR Sreejesh likely to get reprieve for playing in charity match

Indian hockey team&#39;s captain PR Sreejesh has apologised for letting the nation down after his team&#39;s 1-3 loss to Belgium in the quarterfinals at the Rio Olympics. 
 
&quot;Unfortunately we are touching the moon, but still we couldn&#39;t reach there, we have fallen from there. It&#39;s hitting really hard because the expectation was very high on us back home,&quot; Sreejesh said after the loss yesterday. &quot;I think we disappointed our country but still I think we players need to work really hard and perform well in the next coming tournaments.&quot; 
 
India were up 1-0 by Akashdeep Singh&#39;s goal inside the first quarter, but the Sreejesh&#39;s men conceded thrice in the second half to hand Belgium their first Olympics semifinal since Antwerp 1920. 
 
Stephan Dockier&#39;s double in the third quarter and Tom Boon sealed the win in the 50th minute. The Indian goalkeeper Sreejesh was brilliant and saved a penalty corner to maintain India&#39;s lead in the first half.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s very difficult, especially, for me as a goalkeeper, I feel like saves never count because it&#39;s all about the scoring, the goal-line.&quot; 
 
Asked about captaining India at the coveted Olympics, he said: &quot;I never dreamt about this, leading the team anywhere. But still it&#39;s a great honour and a great responsibility for me. In hockey, captaincy isn&#39;t the most important, but it&#39;s all about outside of the field, how you are coordinating with the players, how you are bringing them together, getting their potential out.&quot; 
 
India coach Roelant Oltmans too was a disappointed man and said they should have won the match.&nbsp;&quot;Of course I&#39;m disappointed and not only about losing the quarterfinal, because you can win matches, you can lose.&nbsp;I&#39;m disappointed about the kind of game that we played today. I have to give all the credit to Belgium who forced us to play like this. I have to look into my players, why they didn&#39;t perform in the way that we had planned,&quot; he said. 
 
The eight-time former Olympic champions India still had a decent run at the Rio 2016 by making the quarters. 
 
&quot;We are getting closer and closer (to the top of world hockey), but the next step still needs to be made. That&#39;s what has been proven in today&#39;s game,&quot; the Dutchman said. 
 
(PTI)

'It's hitting really hard because the expectation was very high on us back home,' PR Sreejesh said after India lost 1-3 to Belgium yesterday

Indian hockey team's captain PR Sreejesh has apologised for letting the nation down after his team's 1-3 loss to Belgium in the quarterfinals at the Rio Olympics. "Unfortunately we are touching the moon, but still we couldn't reach there, we have fallen from there. It's hitting really hard because the expectation was very high on us back home," Sreejesh said after the loss yesterday. "I think we disappointed our country but still I think we players need to work really hard and perform well in the next coming tournaments." India were up 1-0 by Akashdeep Singh's goal inside the first quarter, but the Sreejesh's men conceded thrice in the second half to hand Belgium their first Olympics semifinal since Antwerp 1920. Stephan Dockier's double in the third quarter and Tom Boon sealed the win in the 50th minute. The Indian goalkeeper Sreejesh was brilliant and saved a penalty corner to maintain India's lead in the first half. "It's very difficult, especially, for me as a goalkeeper, I feel like saves never count because it's all about the scoring, the goal-line." Asked about captaining India at the coveted Olympics, he said: "I never dreamt about this, leading the team anywhere. But still it's a great honour and a great responsibility for me. In hockey, captaincy isn't the most important, but it's all about outside of the field, how you are coordinating with the players, how you are bringing them together, getting their potential out." India coach Roelant Oltmans too was a disappointed man and said they should have won the match. "Of course I'm disappointed and not only about losing the quarterfinal, because you can win matches, you can lose. I'm disappointed about the kind of game that we played today. I have to give all the credit to Belgium who forced us to play like this. I have to look into my players, why they didn't perform in the way that we had planned," he said. The eight-time former Olympic champions India still had a decent run at the Rio 2016 by making the quarters. "We are getting closer and closer (to the top of world hockey), but the next step still needs to be made. That's what has been proven in today's game," the Dutchman said. (PTI)

Rio Olympics 2016: Indian hockey captain apologises for letting nation down

India&#39;s hockey coach Roelant Oltmans said today that skipper Sardar Singh had been replaced as captain for the Olympics as he backed the sport&#39;s one-time giants to continue their recent revival in Rio. 
 
After unveiling the 16-strong men and women&#39;s squads which will travel to Brazil, Oltmans said that goalkeeper Sreejesh Ravindran would lead the men&#39;s team under a new &quot;rotational captaincy&quot; programme. 
 
Singh, who has been captain of the team for the last for years, was picked in the squad and Oltmans insisted he remained a key player. 
But the move comes after he was accused in February of sexually harassing a woman who claims to have been his former girlfriend, accusations that Singh has strenuously denied. 
 
&quot;I have been here for a three and a half years now and what I observed is a fairly hierarchic structure and when there is only one captain for long then the players shy away from responsibility,&quot; said Oltmans. 
 
&quot;In a team, during a game, I need players who take responsibility. Changing the captaincy on the pitch gives far more responsibility. 
&quot;Sardar is an important player but I am sure this (rotational captaincy) will help the team and it will help him as well,&quot; he added at a press conference in New Delhi. 
 
India once dominated the men&#39;s game at the Olympics and has won a total of eight golds. However the last of these was in Moscow back in 1980 and they finished last at the London games four years ago. 
 
Although not one of the favourites at next month&#39;s Olympics in Brazil, there have been encouraging signs for India of late and they were runners-up in the recent Champions Trophy. 
 
&quot;You have seen in the last couple of years that we are getting better and better,&quot; said the 62-year-old Dutchman. 
 
&quot;If that&#39;s enough already to get medals at the Olympics that&#39;s something we have to prove. 
 
India&#39;s strong showing at last month&#39;s Champions Trophy in London has seen it rise a couple of spots to fifth in the world rankings, still some way behind Australia at the top of the chart. 
 
&quot;Its clear from where we are, winning a couple of medals in FIH (International Hockey Federation) tournaments, look at the world rankings at the moment,&quot; said Oltmans. 
 
&quot;It is all signals of revival but nothing more than that. It is up to us to prove it during the Olympics that we are there for a longer time,&quot; added the coach, who is also the teams high performance director. 
 
The Indian mens team has been drawn in Group B alongside Argentina, Canada, Germany, Ireland and Netherlands. The womens team, which is making its first appearance at an Olympics for 36 years, has been grouped with Argentina, Australia, Great Britain, Japan and the United States. 
 
(AFP)

Coach Roelant Oltmans introduces a new 'rotational captaincy' programme, which he hopes will push players to take on more responsibility

India's hockey coach Roelant Oltmans said today that skipper Sardar Singh had been replaced as captain for the Olympics as he backed the sport's one-time giants to continue their recent revival in Rio. After unveiling the 16-strong men and women's squads which will travel to Brazil, Oltmans said that goalkeeper Sreejesh Ravindran would lead the men's team under a new "rotational captaincy" programme. Singh, who has been captain of the team for the last for years, was picked in the squad and Oltmans insisted he remained a key player. But the move comes after he was accused in February of sexually harassing a woman who claims to have been his former girlfriend, accusations that Singh has strenuously denied. "I have been here for a three and a half years now and what I observed is a fairly hierarchic structure and when there is only one captain for long then the players shy away from responsibility," said Oltmans. "In a team, during a game, I need players who take responsibility. Changing the captaincy on the pitch gives far more responsibility. "Sardar is an important player but I am sure this (rotational captaincy) will help the team and it will help him as well," he added at a press conference in New Delhi. India once dominated the men's game at the Olympics and has won a total of eight golds. However the last of these was in Moscow back in 1980 and they finished last at the London games four years ago. Although not one of the favourites at next month's Olympics in Brazil, there have been encouraging signs for India of late and they were runners-up in the recent Champions Trophy. "You have seen in the last couple of years that we are getting better and better," said the 62-year-old Dutchman. "If that's enough already to get medals at the Olympics that's something we have to prove. India's strong showing at last month's Champions Trophy in London has seen it rise a couple of spots to fifth in the world rankings, still some way behind Australia at the top of the chart. "Its clear from where we are, winning a couple of medals in FIH (International Hockey Federation) tournaments, look at the world rankings at the moment," said Oltmans. "It is all signals of revival but nothing more than that. It is up to us to prove it during the Olympics that we are there for a longer time," added the coach, who is also the teams high performance director. The Indian mens team has been drawn in Group B alongside Argentina, Canada, Germany, Ireland and Netherlands. The womens team, which is making its first appearance at an Olympics for 36 years, has been grouped with Argentina, Australia, Great Britain, Japan and the United States. (AFP)

India hockey captain Sardar Singh replaced by Sreejesh Ravindran for Rio Olympics

Indian women&#39;s hockey team dished out a disappointing performance to suffer a 1-6 thrashing at the hands of a rampaging Australia in their third fixture at the Rio Olympics today. 
 
The Indians, who were playing in the Olympics after a gap of 36 years, were simply outplayed by the higher-ranked Australians who exposed the defensive frailties of their opponents with a comprehensive win in a lop-sided match. Jodie Kenny struck twice (43rd and 46th minute) while Kathryn Slattery (5th), Georgina Morgan (9th), Jane Claxton (35th), Georgina Parker (36th) scored once each to route the Indians. 
 
For India, Thokchom Anuradha scored the lone goal with just 8.3 seconds left on the clock.&nbsp;The Australians, who were the 2014 World Cup losing finalists, laid seize of the Indian 25-yard with waves of attacking runs and forced seven penalty corners from which they scored four times. 
 
India, on the other hand, got just one penalty corner which they failed to convert. They could barely string a goal-bound attack in the whole match as they suffered their second consecutive match.&nbsp;The Indian forwards could not make any opening and Rani Rampal was fielded for very less time. The margin of loss would have been bigger for India had goalkeeper Savita Punia not come up with some fine saves in the match. 
 
With today&#39;s loss, India is at the bottom of Pool B with just one point which they earned from the drawn match against Japan in their opening match. They had lost to Great Britain 0-3 in their previous match. 
 
India has two matches to play in the six-team Pool B, against higher ranked Argentina and United States. Only the top four finishers will advance to the quarterfinals. 
 
Australia took a 2-0 lead at the end of the first quarter of 15 minutes before the Indians denied them any goal in the second quarter. They scored three goals in the third quarter before pumping in another one in the final quarter to win the one-sided match. The Hockeyroos went into the attacking mode as soon as the match began and with better trapping and faster movement, they surged ahead in the fifth minute itself with Kathryan sounding the board from the first penalty corner they got. 
 
Two minutes later, Preeti Dubey earned the only penalty corner for India in the match. However, her deflected shot from a penalty corner variation went wide. 
 
Australia scored their second goal in the ninth minute with Georgina Morgan sounding the board from the second penalty corner they earned. Indian goalkeeper could have saved that low shot to her right, but she failed to do that. 
 
In the 20th minute, Anuradha got a rare chance to shoot at the Australian goal but her effort went over the bar. Next minute, Australia got a penalty corner but the Indian was up to the task. The Indians put up a better performance in the second quarter and denied them a goal. 
 
The Indian resistance in the second quarter did not last long as Australia scored in the fifth minute of the third quarter with Jane Claxton scoring a field goal. Georgina Parker than scored another field goal barely one minute later to make it 4-0 for Australia. 
 
Jodie Kenny struck her double late into the match, one from a penalty stroke after Indian captain Sushila Chanu was hit on her foot just in front of the goal following a penalty corner. 
 
In the final quarter, Kenny got the sixth goal for Australia from the penalty corner to complete the route. 
 
India scored the consolation goal through Anuradha with barely nine second left in the match as she volleyed a high ball into the Australian goal. 
 
(PTI)

With today's loss, India is at the bottom of Pool B and has two matches to play against higher ranked Argentina and US

Indian women's hockey team dished out a disappointing performance to suffer a 1-6 thrashing at the hands of a rampaging Australia in their third fixture at the Rio Olympics today. The Indians, who were playing in the Olympics after a gap of 36 years, were simply outplayed by the higher-ranked Australians who exposed the defensive frailties of their opponents with a comprehensive win in a lop-sided match. Jodie Kenny struck twice (43rd and 46th minute) while Kathryn Slattery (5th), Georgina Morgan (9th), Jane Claxton (35th), Georgina Parker (36th) scored once each to route the Indians. For India, Thokchom Anuradha scored the lone goal with just 8.3 seconds left on the clock. The Australians, who were the 2014 World Cup losing finalists, laid seize of the Indian 25-yard with waves of attacking runs and forced seven penalty corners from which they scored four times. India, on the other hand, got just one penalty corner which they failed to convert. They could barely string a goal-bound attack in the whole match as they suffered their second consecutive match. The Indian forwards could not make any opening and Rani Rampal was fielded for very less time. The margin of loss would have been bigger for India had goalkeeper Savita Punia not come up with some fine saves in the match. With today's loss, India is at the bottom of Pool B with just one point which they earned from the drawn match against Japan in their opening match. They had lost to Great Britain 0-3 in their previous match. India has two matches to play in the six-team Pool B, against higher ranked Argentina and United States. Only the top four finishers will advance to the quarterfinals. Australia took a 2-0 lead at the end of the first quarter of 15 minutes before the Indians denied them any goal in the second quarter. They scored three goals in the third quarter before pumping in another one in the final quarter to win the one-sided match. The Hockeyroos went into the attacking mode as soon as the match began and with better trapping and faster movement, they surged ahead in the fifth minute itself with Kathryan sounding the board from the first penalty corner they got. Two minutes later, Preeti Dubey earned the only penalty corner for India in the match. However, her deflected shot from a penalty corner variation went wide. Australia scored their second goal in the ninth minute with Georgina Morgan sounding the board from the second penalty corner they earned. Indian goalkeeper could have saved that low shot to her right, but she failed to do that. In the 20th minute, Anuradha got a rare chance to shoot at the Australian goal but her effort went over the bar. Next minute, Australia got a penalty corner but the Indian was up to the task. The Indians put up a better performance in the second quarter and denied them a goal. The Indian resistance in the second quarter did not last long as Australia scored in the fifth minute of the third quarter with Jane Claxton scoring a field goal. Georgina Parker than scored another field goal barely one minute later to make it 4-0 for Australia. Jodie Kenny struck her double late into the match, one from a penalty stroke after Indian captain Sushila Chanu was hit on her foot just in front of the goal following a penalty corner. In the final quarter, Kenny got the sixth goal for Australia from the penalty corner to complete the route. India scored the consolation goal through Anuradha with barely nine second left in the match as she volleyed a high ball into the Australian goal. (PTI)

Rio Olympics 2016: Indian women's hockey team lose 1-6 to Australia