Indian men's hockey team drop to sixth place in latest FIH rankings

By Ajay Gandhar

Ajay Gandhar has been part of Khel Now since 2023 and has covered almost every Olympic sport, but Badminton, Tennis, Football, and Track and Field have his heart.

Published at :April 16, 2024 at 1:39 PM

Modified at :April 16, 2024 at 1:39 PM

Indian men's hockey team drop to sixth place in latest FIH rankings

(Courtesy : Olympics)

The Indian women’s team remains at ninth place.

The Indian men’s hockey team’s road to the Paris Olympics has hit a speed bump as they dropped to world no. 6 in the latest FIH Rankings. This comes on the back of a disastrous 0-5 series whitewash at the hands of Australia in the five-match Test series Down Under.

Indian, who started 2024 ranked an impressive world no. 3, have now slipped three places after conceding more than 15 goals.

This continued a disappointing run of form for the Indian men’s hockey team ever since their historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 – India’s first Olympic hockey medal in 41 years. That campaign had raised hopes of an Indian hockey renaissance, but inconsistent performances since then have prevented them from kicking on.

The 0-5 drubbing allowed Australia to leapfrog India to world no. 3, while the last match loss cost crucial ranking points that pushed the Indians out of the top five.

India had already dropped to world no. 4 earlier this year after an inconsistent showing in the home leg of the FIH Pro League in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela against opponents like Spain, Ireland, Australia and the Netherlands.

India will have a chance to arrest this slide and improve their ranking when they take part in the European leg of the FIH Pro League starting in May. A strong performance there could propel them back into the top four before the all-important Paris Olympics.

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In the women’s rankings, the Indian eves remained stuck at world no. 9 after a disappointing run that saw them fail to qualify for the Paris Olympics via the FIH Olympic qualifiers in Ranchi earlier this year.

However, with Harendra Singh being appointed as the new coach recently, the Indian women’s team will be keen to start afresh and try to improve their ranking in the upcoming FIH Pro League matches next month.

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Ajay Gandhar

Ajay Gandhar has been part of Khel Now since 2023 and has expertise across a wide range of Olympic sports. While his coverage spans the Olympic spectrum, he is passionate about Badminton, Tennis, Football, and Track and Field. Beyond his primary focus areas, Ajay is also an avid kabaddi enthusiast and closely follows the sport.