Paris: India’s Harmanpreet Singh celebrates scoring a penalty against New Zealand during the Pool B hockey match between India and New Zealand, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (Photo: PTI)
The Indian hockey team is on an unbeaten run in its first three matches at the Paris Olympics and will be looking to maintain the momentum as they chase a long-awaited gold medal in the tournament. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s excellent form has been the key factor for the team that has registered two wins and one draw in the campaign so far.
However, the Indian team will be hoping to score more field goals and not just rely on set pieces at the end of their tournament. India, who are in Pool B, have already faced New Zealand, Argentina and Ireland and have a challenging series of matches against reigning champions Belgium and Australia ahead.
This is what the points table for Pool B looks like at the moment
| Paris 2024 Olympic Games Men’s Hockey Group B Points Table | ||||||
| Ploughing | Played | Won | To draw | Lost | Points | GD |
| Belgium | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 7 |
| India | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
| Australia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | -2 |
| Argentina | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -4 |
| Ireland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -5 |
In pool A, the Dutch hockey team is currently at the top of the rankings in a group with heavyweights like Germany. Both the Netherlands and Germany have not had a perfect trip so far and have lost points in their three games so far. While the Netherlands drew against Great Britain (2-2), Germany lost 2-0 to Spain, which puts the group in an interesting position at the moment.
This is how the standings in Pool A look so far
| Paris 2024 Olympic Games Men’s Hockey Group A Points Table | ||||||
| Ploughing | Played | Won | To draw | Lost | Points | GD |
| Germany | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 |
| The Netherlands | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Spain | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Great Britain | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| South Africa | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | -9 |
| France | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | -10 |
With four teams qualifying for the quarter-finals from each pool, every point from here on will matter as teams look to put their best foot forward in the upcoming matches. Indian fans would also be watching how their team fares against formidable teams like Belgium and Australia in their bid to win back-to-back medals at the Olympics.
First print: Aug 01, 2024 | 01:21 AM IST