FIH Pro League: India’s battle vs World No 1 Netherlands lives up to billing in Paris Olympics buildup | Hockey News

Lalit Upadhyay leapt so high above the defence he might as well have been a footballer trying to head home a hopeful cross into the box.A second ago, the ball was in India’s half with Harmanpreet Singh stopping in his tracks to find passing options. None available, with all closely marked the Dutch who were one-up, he turned to India’s Man Friday Hardik Singh to his right.
Hardik spotted Lalit taking a step forward and lobbed a ball that travelled almost three-fourths the length of the pitch and kept on sailing. It was destined to land on the advertising boards until, like a superhero popping from nowhere to save a dressed soul’s life, Lalit jumped high, put his stick above his head and plucked the ball from the cool Rourkela air.

Goal in just over 30 seconds! #FIHProLeague @jarmanpreet04 gets his name on the score sheet after more than a year. 🤩
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The defender had to react else Lalit would have been through on goal but in trying to stop him, he also encroached on the attacker’s territory – violating the 5m rule – and India were awarded a penalty corner.
Minutes later, Hardik – who started the move from the right of India’s defence – was there on the left side of the goal near the baseline to tap the ball into the goal. The all-rounder’s 11th career goal ensured India got something out of the match in which they were both flawed and fabulous.
Trailing 1-0 at half-time, the FIH Pro League match ended in a 1-1 draw, with India suffering a rare shoot-out defeat (2-4) – their first in almost a year – to surrender the bonus point to the Netherlands, an opponent they could well face in the knockout round of the Paris Olympics.
Hardik’s aerial and Lalit’s leap weren’t the only moments that thrilled the 18,469 people who had filled the stands.
Harman, the midfielder
There must have been a tinge of astonishment within the Dutch camp when they would’ve seen Harmanpreet Singh, the bedrock of the defence, scurrying in the centre of the midfield, pushing forward and having India’s first real shot at goal. A tomahawk, no less. Not a drag-flick, the captain’s speciality.
In a series of experiments that the FIH Pro League has been, this was one of the more profound ones for it had a domino effect on other areas of the field. Amit Rohidas had to step in and marshal the defence. Sumit played one of his best games in an India shirt. Jarmanpreet Singh imposed himself on the right.
Rotating, inter-changing and constantly on the move, not just in the defence but different parts of the field, although the coordination wasn’t always smooth – when India got going, it was a spectacle.
It was an evening when the back-line defence shone. Barring the early exchanges, where they were once again guilty of starting slowly which led to them conceding a goal in the second minute, the defence was flawless. It gave Harmanpreet and Hardik the push forward more freely to join the attack.

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Netherlands outlast India in the shoot-outs after the teams were tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation time in the #FIHProLeague. Netherlands take 2 points with the shoot-out victory bonus, while India take… pic.twitter.com/uX4QfrMT01
— International Hockey Federation (@FIH_Hockey) February 21, 2024
There were phases, especially in the second quarter when India came back well after falling behind early and the third where they continued to put pressure on the Netherlands when the attack looked irresible with the forwards showcasing their wide-ranging skills.
Problem areas
It was a phase from which India would have preferred to get something more than just the Hardik goal. But the home team couldn’t convert their circle entries into goals. The forwards found it tough to find space inside the crowded Dutch ‘D’ and at other times, they were guilty of indulging in one pass too many.
The conversion remains one of the top problem areas but another concern raised its head during the match. As was the case against Spain, their basic skills – trapping and passing – let them down.
It allowed the Netherlands to launch counterattacks and not let India settle on the ball. In high-stakes matches, one would expect them to be more ruthless than they were on Wednesday and punish India for losing the ball so frequently in the middle of the park.
PR Sreejesh made fine saves and Krishan Pathak, too, had to dive full-length to his right and use his stick to keep the ball out to stop the Netherlands from scoring a late winner.

But the goalkeepers’ fine form in the tie-breakers finally ended. It also puts a little more spotlight on Pathak’s strength, or lack of it, in the shootouts, something Fulton has noted.
Unlike Sreejesh, who makes himself big in the goal and rarely commits to a tackle, Pathak didn’t look assured while saving the shots. Indeed, it was the strikers’ casual attitude that led to India losing the shootouts 4-2. But in a tournament where Fulton hopes to give shape to his Olympic squad, it’s these fine margins that will decide which goalkeeper will be on the plane to Paris.