The men\u2019s team delivered a stellar performance, winning five matches out of eight, and sitting third in the standings with 15 points, just one point behind joint-leaders England and Spain. They opened their campaign with a 1-3 loss against Spain but bounced back well with a 2-0 win against the same opposition. The men\u2019s team next faced World No.4 Germany and despite losing the first match, showed great defensive resilience the very next day to edge out a 1-0 win over the Germans. They then built on the momentum with back-to-back dominant wins over Ireland.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
India were dealt an unfortunate 2-3 loss against seasoned rivals England but thanks to a brace from Captain Harmanpreet Singh in the next fixture, the home side replied with a hard-fought 2-1 victory to end their Bhubaneswar leg on a high. Mandeep Singh and Sukhjeet Singh were the standout performers for the men\u2019s team bagging three crucial goals each for the side while the 21-year-old Rajinder Singh showed great promise.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The women\u2019s team on the other hand had their ups and downs in the opening matches of the tournament. With two wins and two draws, India are currently sixth on the leaderboard with nine points. The women\u2019s side opened its tournament on a strong foot with a 3-2 win and a draw over England.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The women\u2019s side was then dealt three losses on the trot, two against Spain and one against Germany, whom they defeated 1-0 in the following fixture. In the final two games, India showed great valour and determination against the World No.1 side the Netherlands.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite losing the first fixture 2-4, India did well by winning over 13 penalty corners and pushing the Dutch side to its limit. On the final day, India made a remarkable comeback to draw the game 2-2 and went on to win the bonus point in the shootout to end their home leg on a high.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Reflecting on his team\u2019s performances, captain Harmanpreet Singh stated, \u201cI am extremely proud of the way the boys have performed. Winning five matches out of eight has given us a solid start to the tournament and we will build on this in the upcoming games. I am especially impressed with the young players who stepped up when needed and helped us win important points.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAlso a special thank you to all the fans who turned up to cheer for us in the stadium. Your continuous support means the world to the team and we promise to give our best on the field ahead,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The women\u2019s team captain Salima Tete echoed a similar sentiment and said, \u201cThe result against the Netherlands has given us a lot of confidence because now we believe we can beat any team in the world. All the players have sacrificed a lot over the last few months and that is why we have got such positive results.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAlso a special thank you to all the fans who turned up to cheer for us in the stadium. Your continuous support means the world to the team and we promise to give our best on the field ahead,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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