Indian Sports and Entertainment Industry

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 25 Apr 2018 14:40

There are football clubs in blr who seem to recruit junior teams also after tryouts from middle school level
I dont much into that scene

one of my son's grade7 friends in our apt is in final round of reliance foundation tryouts early next month in mumbai

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 27 Apr 2018 23:17

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryan ... 80137.html
Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, April 26
The Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Rohtak, has introduced a two-year executive postgraduate diploma in sports management.

The institute is the first IIM to launch a sports management programme designed for professionals and sports enthusiasts.

The graduates of this course would be equipped to understand legal, regulatory, operational, financial, and branding concepts in the sports industry.

Director, IIM-Rohtak, Prof Dheeraj Sharma said the Indian sports market was growing at a fast pace.

“This is due to the revolutionised sporting environment created due to professional leagues operating around the year. Thus this programme is designed on a par with the best in the world to train professional managers who can embark on career opportunities in various functions of sports management such as sports administration and planning, event management, sports negotiations and compliance, management of elite athletes, sports academies, facility management, and sports marketing,” he said.

Candidate with a bachelor’s degree in any discipline can apply for this study programme, whereas work experience in the relevant field will be an added advantage.

Professor Sharma said the growing need to professionalise the ever-expanding sports industry created the need for sports management professionals. Sports management professionals are expected to deal with various business aspects of sports and recreation.

“The sports management programme at IIM-Rohtak is expected to produce professionals who have competence in various domains such as sports marketing, sports law, financial aspect of sports, event management, sports infrastructure management and sponsorship, among others,” he said, adding that the last date for registration is May 31. The first batch is expected to start in July 8.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 28 Apr 2018 03:29

Why can't these kids be honed for diving? There are more than 20 medals in diving

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 01 May 2018 18:01

Coach swap between men's and women's hockey teams. Harender given charge of men's team and Marine gets charge of women's team. Lets see how this pans out.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/other-sp ... uwejI.html

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 05 May 2018 00:14

India has got a good draw in AFC Asian cup.

http://www.goal.com/en-in/news/afc-asia ... m8dqwo7z2b

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 07 May 2018 02:17

Neeraj Chopra is making more progress. Well past 87m now, throwing 87.43m, almost a metre longer than his previous best.
India's ace javelin-thrower Neeraj Chopra finishes fourth in Doha Diamond League, shatters own national record
This was a creme-de-la-creme event, with all the top throwers present. He finished behind the 3 heavyweight Germans - the Olympic champion Rohler, world champion Vetter and Hoffmann, but ahead of everyone else, amongst them prior world, European and Olympics medalists.

By end of year I hope he will hit 89-90m.

Chopra's throw is at 2:50 here:

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 09 May 2018 18:10

http://www.rediff.com/sports/report/her ... 180509.htm

A former champion shooter himself, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore knows how lack of infrastructure can scuttle Olympic dreams and the Indian sports minister is determined to ensure his athletes get the best possible preparation for the Tokyo Games.

In an interview, Rathore said the government was 'leaving no stone unturned' to train 200 elite athletes for the 2020 Olympics and beyond under its Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) programme.

"With just one and half to two years left for the Tokyo Games, we are not only focusing on their training but also rehab if any athlete is injured," Rathore said, sitting on a Swiss exercise ball which he uses as a chair in his office.

TOPS was rolled out in 2014 to identify elite athletes and provide them with world-class coaching and training facilities.

"From selection to funding, everything is managed by a set of people whom we have put under the TOPS," said Rathore, who won the double-trap silver at the 2004 Athens Games.

"This team has high performance directors, CEOs, athlete relationship managers, researchers who are finding details about athletes' toughest opponents in the top international circuit."

More encouraging is the emergence of a bunch of young champions.

A 16-year old Manu Bhaker shot down the 10m air pistol gold at the ISSF Mexico World Cup in March, 20-year old Neeraj Chopra won the javelin gold in the last Commonwealth Games and 15-year-old Anish Bhanwala became the youngest Indian to win a Commonwealth gold in the 25m rapid fire pistol event.

Long a laggard at multi-sports Games, India finished third at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games ahead of more traditional sporting powers Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.

"I think the self-confidence is building up. A sense of self-belief is building up. The athletes are feeding off each other and the whole environment in India is now feeding off itself," said Rathore.

The Indian shooters have been performing exceptionally well at the world stage in recent times, which has been especially pleasing to former marksman Rathore.

"This excellence is largely driven by individuals but it's also due to funding that is coming to them.

"The shooting federation is the highest funded federation. Among the 200 elite athletes, about 200 crore rupees ($29.70 million) have been provided to shooters alone, much more than any other federation. So, we are investing into it."

Apart from shooting, India have made longs strides in disciplines such as badminton, wrestling, boxing and archery.

"We have identified the events that we will do well in and also the athletes who we are hoping will do well. I leave this job of identifying to the super professionals of the TOPS team and I have great respect for the work they are doing," said Rathore.

"It's my job to ensure that the best professional people are into my TOPS team and they will continuously analyse which events, depending on who are the athletes competing there, how they compare with the world standard and fund those athletes.

"Closer to the (Tokyo) Games they (will) keep giving me an account as to which athlete is moving closer and who is likely to win," he said.

India has been here before of course and the only true test of the TOPS programme will come in August 2020.

After all, India were second in the medals table at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi but returned home from the subsequent London Olympics without a single gold medal.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 09 May 2018 22:35

Interesting badminton teams for upcoming events.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spo ... 082643.cms

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spo ... 083350.cms

Ashokk · Post by **Ashokk** » 14 May 2018 16:26

Heena bags gold, Nivetha gets bronze in Hannover

HANNOVER: Indian shooter Heena Sidhu clinched the gold medal while compatriot P Shri Nivetha settled for bronze in the women's 10m air pistol at the International Shooting Competitions of Hannover (ISCH) ahead of next week's ISSF Munich World Cup.

Heena was in rollicking form in the final where she was tied with France's Mathilde Lamolle on 239.8 points. She won the tie to win the gold ahead of Mathilde. Shri Nivetha finished on 219.2.

The finish marks a strong build-up to next week's ISSF World Cup in Munich.

After beginning with a series of scores in the 9s, Heena switched gears and notched up 10 and above consistently to break away from the field. Her second series produced consistent 10s and she even hit a perfect 10.9 in the elimination round to put herself in contention for gold.

After initially fighting for the 3rd-4th position, the Commonwealth gold medalist Indian scored a 10.9 on her 13th shot in the final to take the lead and then held her nerve till the end.

Heena qualified for the final in the fourth place scoring 572 while Shri Nivetha topped the qualification with a total of 582.

"I am feeling good with how my training is shaping up. Of course, it's not perfect but we are moving in the right direction so it's just a matter of time," Heena said after her gold medal win.

The ISSF Munich World Cup will be held from May 22 to 29 and will be Heena's second major competition after her twin medal success at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and the World Cup in Korea.

Heena had won a gold in the women's 25m pistol event in Gold Coast and a silver in 10 metre air pistol.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 16 May 2018 22:53

Tejaswin Shankar sets new high jump national record.

http://www.espn.in/athletics/story/_/id ... wg-setback

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 16 May 2018 23:06

Just a matter of time before's jumping >2.30m . There's a youtube video of him comfortably clearing (I think) 2.31 before his ankle hits the bar on the drop.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 17 May 2018 20:06

He is about 5-6 cm short of medal level as at last Olympics.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 25 May 2018 10:19

Indian shuttlers made history during the Commonwealth Games in April that gave the fans a belief that better things were in store. But a month after the gold rush in Gold Coast, the Indian team has plummeted to a new low after being knocked out from the Thomas & Uber Cup in Thailand. It was dismal display by the men’ team as they lost 0-5 to China and 1-4 to France, while women were no better after they were handed defeats by Canada 1-4 and Japan 0-5.
In the absence of stalwarts like Kidambi Srikanth, PV Sindhu, and doubles stars Satwik Sairaj/Chirag Shetty, Ashwini Ponnappa/ Sikki Reddy, one would have expected the Indians to stumble anyway, but a performance like this has certainly not gone well with selector and coach Vimal Kumar. While the onus was on supremely talented youngsters to deliver, India badly missed the regular stars. While the fans are behind their shuttlers, coach Vimal has thinks that the youngsters could have done better in the men’s section, and that the women’s team need to bridge a long gap before they reach the level of Sindhu and Saina Nehwal. He raised questions over some of the players skipping Thomas & Uber Cup, and rightly so.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 25 May 2018 10:21

Every player had their own valid reason for not participating, but never has it hurt India’s chances so bad. While Sindhu had cited fitness issues for giving the prestigious tournament a miss, Sikki was down with a typhoid. A fully fit Srikanth skipped the tournament to concentrate on the other important tournaments, whereas Satwik had to appear for his class 12 exams.

“I think our players need to take more responsibility. We are extending every possible support in the form of facility, training and exposure, so the players cannot complain. They are getting better opportunities and are in the limelight now, so everything overall is really good. So the players need to deliver. They cannot side track or neglect Thomas & Uber Cup.

“Just consider this. In tennis, there is not much support from the government and the association and the players take care of everything on their own. So they are in a good position to decide whether to play Davis Cup or not. But we are in a different stage where we are truly taken care of, round the year. Everything is funded by the government or BAI. We cannot be only looking at our own rankings and points. When we have a decent chance of doing well in Thomas & Uber Cup, so we should have given some importance to this event,” a miffed Vimal added.

Earlier when the international calendar was announced, quite a few Indian players had expressed their concern over the tight schedule. The only way forward for them was pick and choose tournaments. But what surprises Vimal is that they chose to skip the prestigious tournament where all the best players from round the globe come to get a medal for their country.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 25 May 2018 11:03

We do have some good youngsters though, even in men's singles. Lakshya Sen twice stretched Lin Dan to three games in a month, including at Thomas Cup. He's just 16, too raw and unfocused. But he can develop into a big star with the right guidance.

Overall though, yes we were piss poor in Thomas and Uber Cup. It was like none of them were interested in it, soon after CWG.

Parasu · Post by **Parasu** » 25 May 2018 20:28

Srikanth and Sindhu did the right thing by skipping the meet.
Depth in the team is needed rather than blaming a couple of players for skipping Thomas cup. And I dont think anybody skipped to defend his ranking or points.
Everyone needs a break. Youngsters should also get a chance to represent the country and get the feel of bigger tournaments.

Moreover, I think Lakshya Sen has reached his potential. I wonder if he can improve on his physical limits any further. And he didnt stretch Lin Dan. One could feel the difference between the players at times when LD started attacking.
Lakshya is a very good player. But he is not at the top level. A lot of Indonesian singles players are hardworking, technically proficient players. But you need more edge than just that.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 25 May 2018 21:03

Necessary. Need to focus on WC and AG.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 25 May 2018 21:09

I think it's a little early to conclude that Lakshya Sen has reached his potential already. He's barely been in top flight play for 2-3 months, and he's three years from getting past his teens. He could turn into a Srikanth. Or a Sai Praneeth. The Chinese persevered with Shi Yuqi despite his early issues at breaking through, and he has won the All England now, something Srikanth is yet to do.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 25 May 2018 21:42

Badminton greats usually come out between the age of 19-21 years. Lakshys Sen is/was the world junior no 1. A 16-17 yr old stretching a former world and olympic champion who still regularly beats top Indian players shows he has potential.

Meanwhile, BCCI mulling mini-IPL for women.

http://indianexpress.com/article/sports ... t-5188847/

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 25 May 2018 22:08

Where did you find that? Here is news from the New Zealand open. The game stretched to 1 hr 7 min. Against Lin Dan. For a 16+ year old.

https://www.firstpost.com/sports/new-ze ... 55545.html

Parasu · Post by **Parasu** » 27 May 2018 03:23

Lakshya Sen has been on the circuit for quite some time. I think he has also won some tournaments. Bulgarian open perhaps, while doing well in other tier 2 tournaments.
I have seen him play. He is good. I am saying that he has reached his potential for two reasons.
1. He is not tall.
2. He is not naturally fit (like LD or KS)
These two are major handicaps. If he can prove me wrong, I will be happiest.
I think he needs to build up strength, like LCW.
And no, he didnt stretch LD. LD plays at his own easy pace when he wants and can up the pace at other times.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 27 May 2018 04:05

From what I see online, Lakshya Sen is 5'10 . Lin Dan is 5'10 . LCW is 5'8 . Srikanth K is 5'9 . I don't know what to say about 'natural fitness', especially since KS is offered as an example - he gets regular injuries. By 'naturally fit', I picture someone like Kapil Dev who played continuously without major injury for years. If you mean stamina levels, yes Sen needs to do quite a bit, instead of running out of steam by middle of game 2 as he seems to do now.

I don't see how a 16 year old could conceivably have been on the circuit for any significant length of time - he's only been playing against the top echelon of the game since about early this year, and that's the only level that matters.

hanumadu · Post by **hanumadu** » 27 May 2018 08:33

He looks very toned and athletic.

If he is losing steam, perhaps he should cut down on the strength training and do more cardio.

Parasu · Post by **Parasu** » 28 May 2018 01:39

Suraj wrote:From what I see online, Lakshya Sen is 5'10 . Lin Dan is 5'10 . LCW is 5'8 . Srikanth K is 5'9 . I don't know what to say about 'natural fitness', especially since KS is offered as an example - he gets regular injuries. By 'naturally fit', I picture someone like Kapil Dev who played continuously without major injury for years. If you mean stamina levels, yes Sen needs to do quite a bit, instead of running out of steam by middle of game 2 as he seems to do now.

I don't see how a 16 year old could conceivably have been on the circuit for any significant length of time - he's only been playing against the top echelon of the game since about early this year, and that's the only level that matters.

I dont think thats accurate. Lakshya Sen is about the same height as LCW. Srikanth and LD are about the same height. May be KS is taller.
By naturally fit, I mean genetics. The difference between Saina`s thunder-thighs heavy-built and Sindhu`s relatively slender height and built.
KS wont gain weight unless he gyms and builds muscle, which is what he has done. Nor would LCW/LD or PVS.
I dont think LS is 16 either. He has been accused of age fraud.
He has been on the circuit since the `midget` age group. Thats what I was saying.
I may be wrong on all counts and perhaps he will go on to do v well.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 28 May 2018 19:44

Yes, you are wrong on all counts. He should be judged after three years.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 01 Jun 2018 23:15

National Sports University to come up in Manipur.

http://www.pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail ... ID=1534146

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 02 Jun 2018 20:44

India beat Taipei 5-0 in Hero International tournament, 2018.

https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/in ... er-ratings

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 02 Jun 2018 20:51

Tejaswin Shankar out of AG due to injury.

https://www.sportskeeda.com/athletics/a ... -to-injury

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 03 Jun 2018 14:53

Sanjita Chanu fails dope test.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ne ... 403372.cms

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 04 Jun 2018 22:32

India beat Kenya 3-0 in football. All three foreign teams are lower ranked but this settles that India's current ranking is not fluke but solid. They should now attempt to go north in ranking. Hopefully IOA will clear the team for AG.

nash · Post by **nash** » 04 Jun 2018 22:34

India Beat Kenya 3-0, saw II half only and what a game from blue tigers played like a well oiled machine.
Every goal is better than the previous one and I believe India very much in the final, most probably against Kenya again.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 04 Jun 2018 23:14

How right professionalism changes a game? India in TT.

https://www.news18.com/news/sports/mani ... 67773.html

https://www.firstpost.com/long-reads/ta ... 11319.html

https://www.sportskeeda.com/table-tenni ... p-division

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 04 Jun 2018 23:42

More.

https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/other- ... 2018-02-02

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 05 Jun 2018 09:28

After Chhetri's fervent appeal, tickets sold out for India-Kenya clash

Hot on the heels of skipper Sunil Chhetri's emotional plea seeking support from fans, tickets for India's second Intercontinental Cup game against Kenya were sold out here.

Chhetri, who will play in his 100th game for the country at the Mumbai Football Arena, took to social media and requested football supporters to come out in numbers and rally behind the Indian team after they thrashed Chinese Taipei 5-0 in the opener.

A motley turnout saw Chhetri net a hattrick as Stephen Constantine's charges began the four-nation meet on a perfect note.

In his video message which went viral, Chhetri said: "Abuse us, criticise us but please come to watch the Indian national team play."

"To all of you, who have lost hope or don't have any hope in Indian football, we request you to come and watch us in the stadium.

"To all of you, who have lost hope or don't have any hope in Indian football, we request you to come and watch us in the stadium," he added.

The video even got cricket captain Virat Kohli to react.

"In support of what my good friend and Indian captain Sunil Chhetri posted sometime back, I want to request everyone to go and watch Indian football play.

"Anyone who loves any kind of sport, go and cheer for the team in the stadiums because they are working hard, they are a talented team and I have seen these players evolve and learn over the last few seasons and get so much better at their game," Kohli said in a video message.

Besides Kohli, batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and former India captain Anil Kumble also got behind Chhetri and posted messages in support of the football team on social media.

India will take part in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup next year in January.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 06 Jun 2018 17:51

https://www.sportskeeda.com/hockey/harj ... real-story

Harjeet Singh Tuli captained India in the Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup (HJWC) 2016 in Lucknow and ended the nation’s 20-year drought in the junior championships by lifting the coveted trophy. This single picture defines what passion is and how much it means to a player. When you dream each day and finally succeed in getting what you want, you dare not leave it!

The seeds of this success story

Harjeet has come up the ranks from modest upbringings. He has seen life’s struggles, especially in India where sports as a career has its own set of obstacles, be it from parents or others around you.

His family hails from the outskirts of the Mohali district, Punjab, in a little-known town of Kurali. He is the son of Rampal Singh, a truck driver, and passionately took up hockey as a career in 2004 at the age of 11. He studied at the Chakwal Senior Secondary School and initially trained at the Gopal Hockey Academy for a few months.

However, with financial problems, it was not plain sailing, to begin with, for this young talent. There was even a moment when his family gave him an ultimatum to quit the sport. It took a lot of convincing for them to ultimately overcome their initial reluctance and support his decision. This was mostly made possible by his stellar performances in the local league.

The young stalwart soon joined the Surjit Hockey Academy in Jalandhar where he honed his skills. It should be noted that this academy has groomed a lot of other famous names including the likes of Jugraj Singh and Akashdeep Singh from the men’s senior national team.

The fact that 10 out of the 18-member Indian HJWC squad including Harmanpreet Singh, Vikramjit Singh, Gurinder Singh, Harjeet Singh, Parwinder Singh, Hardik Singh, Mandeep Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Krishan B Pathak and Varun Kumar were from SHA speaks volumes of the facilities and skills that it offers.

Harjeet thanked his coach Amrutpal Singh and in particular Patwari Sohan Singh Lal for all the moral and financial backing he received. For a man who didn’t even own a good pair of shoes or his own cycle to reach the training ground, this has been a gargantuan effort and his determination is one that should inspire us all!
Living the big dream

Harjeet was selected by the Delhi Waveriders to play in the Hockey India League (HIL) in the year 2015. His performances were steady throughout the tournament and he also bagged the ‘Jugraj Singh Upcoming Player of the Year’ award. What helped, apart from the motivation he got, was a Rs 10 lakh cash reward that helped his family partially offset the financial hardships they were facing.

“I know that more success in the game will bring more money, and to me that’s really important as I have seen the worst financial days of my life, for it was quite difficult for me to continue to pursue my passion.

“But I know a podium finish at this World Cup will make a big difference to everyone in the team, and I believe that playing as a strong unit would help us achieve our goal.” ~ Harjeet on how money plays a role especially during crunch situations in life.

He garnered valuable experience by filling the shoes of Sardar Singh, who was dodging personal controversies around that time and was rested for the FIH Champions Trophy 2015 in London. He then featured in the Sultan Azlan Shah Tournament 2016 which helped him polish his hockey skills and rub shoulders with the more experienced players in the team.

Soon after, he was named the captain of the Indian men’s junior hockey squad. Singh led India to victory against reigning world junior champions Germany in the final of the Four Nations Invitational Tournament in Valencia, Spain, which was a precursor event to the HJWC 2016.

“Captaincy isn’t pressure for me as I know my job well and everybody is a leader of his own in the team. We have separate plans for different teams, but currently we are focussing on our training and not thinking of anything else.” ~ on captaincy and its pressure.

Glued to the TV sets to watch the entire HJWC final, Harjeet’s mother Balwinder Kaur was excited and proud to receive her son’s phone call soon after the victory. Such was her enthusiasm that she wanted to celebrate his return by trumpeting dhols (drums) along with the happy villagers.

However, his father was unaware of what extraordinary feat his son and his teammates had achieved for the country! He was away on an assignment in Kolkata for the last month of the HJWC.
From real to reel life!

The inspirational story of India's HJWC 2016 winning captain Harjeet Singh is all set to be made into a biopic! The film stars popular Punjabi singer and actor Ammy Virk in the lead role and is scheduled to release by the end of March 2018. Virk proposed the idea to Harjeet at a dinner party celebrating the W’Cup victory and also managed to get his parents’ approval.

It should be noted that this is not the first time that a film on a hockey player is being depicted on the silver screen. The Indian film industry’s hockey obsession started with ‘Chak De! India’, a cult classic among every movie buff in the year 2007.

King of Bollywood i.e. Shah Rukh Khan essayed the life of former India goalkeeper Mir Ranjan Negi in this film. Another film based on the life of three-time Olympic medalist and celebrated hockey player Prithipal Singh called ‘Prithipal Singh, A story’ was released in 2015 with Vikas Kumar in the lead role.

Moreover, Khiladi Kumar and 2016 national award winner, Akshay Kumar is all set to play the role of three-time Olympic gold medalist, the legendary Balbir Singh Sr. in a movie titled Gold which is still in the pipeline. Incidentally, the record for the highest number of goals in an Olympic men’s final is still held by Balbir Singh Sr.

What sets Harjeet apart from the rest is the fact that he is still playing, unlike the others who had retired by the time the movie was envisioned and brought to life! He will perhaps have interactive sessions in the future with the actors so that they can actually get to know his life up-close.
Future role

Will Harjeet be able to step into the shoes of the ageing star Indian midfielder Sardar Singh? Only time will tell. Going forward, he will need to show more composure and maturity to perhaps even lead the Indian side in the near future. Until then, let’s not rush things and instead relish watching him play on the field. After all, it has been quite a struggle to reach where he has and it is time that he enjoys the attention and fame that he truly deserves!

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 09 Jun 2018 18:15

Although there is some confusion looks like Indian football team has been cleared for AG.

https://www.firstpost.com/sports/aiff-y ... 03565.html

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 10 Jun 2018 22:25

India beat Kenya 2-0 to win Hero Intl Cup. Good opportunity for the team to play together. They should have higher ranked teams from next year.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 13 Jun 2018 00:07

Hockey world cup will be held at Bhubneshwar, Orissa from 28th November to 16 December 2018

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Men% ... _World_Cup

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 20 Jun 2018 19:38

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/sport/ ... 08070.html

Hockey girls beat Spain 4-1, level series

Madrid, June 19
Skipper Rani Rampal and defender Gurjit Kaur struck a brace each as the Indian women hockey team thrashed Spain 4-1 in the fifth and final match to level the series 2-2.

India dominated the match in terms of possession and chances created as Rani (33', 37') provided the side a two-goal cushion at the Consejo Superior de Deportes hockey stadium. The Indian skipper was backed by two well-converted penalty corners by Gurjit (44', 50') towards the closing stages of the match. Spain's Lola Riera (58') scored the consolation goal for the hosts.

In the second minute, forward Vandana Katariya got a sight on the Spanish goal but the 26-year-old's effort was saved by Spain's goalkeeper Maria Ruiz. India's aggressive start fetched them two penalty corners in the first five minutes, but Ruiz was called into action again, and she was upto the task. India maintained pressure on the hosts in the second quarter and did not give away possession easily.

The world No. 10 team showed quality in the mid-field and made an attempt through young forward Lalremsiami but it was saved by Maria Ruiz.

Spain could not manage to get a grip on the match but did well to deny any clear goal-scoring opportunities to the visitors. In the third quarter, India utilised their possession to good effect as Rani was found in the striking circle with an accurate pass by midfielder Namita Toppo and the captain stroked home a delightful finish to give her team the lead in the 33rd minute.

Four minutes later, striker Rani was again presented with an opportunity to score and the 23-year-old found the back of the net to increase India's lead to two goals.Gurjit converted a penalty corner in the 44th minute to make the score 3-0 in India's favour.

India dominated in the last quarter as well, winning two penalty corners in the opening five minutes. The first was saved by a Spanish defender and the second was stroked into the back of the net by Gurjit Kaur as she scored her second goal of the match.

In the 58th minute, the world No. 11 team hit India on the counter and won themselves a penalty corner, which was converted by Lola Riera as the match ended 4-1 in India's favour.

Men’s squad departs for Champions Trophy

Bengaluru: The 18-member Indian men's hockey team left for the Champions Trophy in Breda, the Netherlands, from June 23. Led by goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, the team is confident of a podium finish at the farewell edition of the prestigious tournament. — PTI

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 20 Jun 2018 19:41

India will have their first match with Bakistan under Rabobank Hockey championship being held at Breda, Netherlands

June 23rd India - Bakistan
June 24th India - Argentina
June 27th India - Australia
June 28th India - Belgium
June 30th India - Netherlands

http://www.fih.ch/events/champions-trop ... reda-2018/

All good teams are playing. This is a good practice ahead of the Asian games in August. Team coach is newly appointed Harendra Singh.