The Indian men's hockey team are all set to play in eight important matches in the European leg of the FIH Pro League with the main focus being the preparations for the upcoming World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Craig Fulton's side had already played eight Pro League games in India and Australia earlier this year and the results were far from being ideal. Facing Belgium, Argentina, Spain and Australia, India failed to win even one game, lost five and drew three. They are currently second last on the table, just above Pakistan.
Now in Europe, India will face the Netherlands and Germany at the former's home and then will travel to London to play against England and Pakistan.
The big picture
Since the time he has been with the Indian team, Fulton has always been vocal about having a strong defence. It's the philosophy that led to previous medals, which also included the Olympic bronze in Paris. That compact defensive structure that was credited for India's success went completely missing in the first eight games. Their opponents easily cut through and kept creating chances, especially by winning penalty corners.
The numbers are shocking: India conceded 66 penalty corner chances in those games while creating only 21. They conceded 25 goals in eight games, the second worst in the league behind Pakistan and 11 off those from the penalty corners.
There was an improvement in defence after the first four games, but Fulton knows where he has to spend time in terms of fixing the problems.
Before they went to Europe, captain Harmanpreet has said they have focused on improving their penalty corner defence and attack and are keen to avoid the same mistakes they did last time.
"We have worked extensively on penalty corner defense and attack. Hopefully, the mistakes we made last time won't be repeated," he told ESPN. "We want to learn from those experiences and improve. And of course, before the World Cup, we have several important matches against strong teams. We want to apply what we have been working on in training and see the outcomes. It is the right time to test our plans and preparations. Winning is always a priority for us, no matter which match it is, and these games will definitely help us."
The same was echoed by fellow drag flicker and partner at the back Amandeep Lakra. "The game is in the circle. Our opponents will try to win as many penalty corners as they can. We are trying to limit those chances. Even if they are successful in hitting our feet, we have our goalkeeper and defenders (rushers) who should prevent them from scoring. The coach has been constantly telling us to defend with our sticks down."
India will face both the Netherlands and England in the upcoming matches, and both have much higher penalty corner efficiency than India. While India scored only four from 21 chances in eight games, the Dutch converted 10 from 34 and England scored seven from 23.
While they have spent some time working on the issue, it's also important for them to string positive results. Last season when they went to Europe for the Pro League, they lost seven out of the eight matches. Adding this season's results, it is clear that Fulton's team needs more wins under their belt. Winning against the best teams away from home will boost their morale going into the World Cup.
Schedule
Rotterdam leg:
June 14, 2026 - Netherlands vs. India at 7:30 p.m.
June 17, 2026 - India vs. Germany at 11 p.m.
June 18, 2026 - India vs. Germany at 11 p.m.
June 21, 2026 - India vs. Netherlands at 5:30 p.m.
London leg:
June 23, 2026 - India vs. Pakistan at 7 p.m.
June 25, 2026 - India vs. England at 12 a.m. (midnight)
June 26, 2026 - India vs. Pakistan at 10:30 p.m.
June 28, 2026 - India vs. England at 8:30 p.m.
India's squad
Goalkeepers: Mohith Honnenahalli Shashikumar, Suraj Karkera
Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh (captain), Amit Rohidas, Sumit, Sanjay, Yashdeep Siwach, Amandeep Lakra, Jarmanpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh
Midfielders: Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Rajinder Singh, Raj Kumar Pal, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem
Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Abhishek, Aditya Arjun Lalage, Dilpreet Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Selvam Karthi