India aim for Olympics 2024 revenge against Germany as hockey returns to Delhi
Hockey is back in New Delhi after a decade as the Indian team will lock horns with Germany in a 2-Test bilateral series which will take place from October 23-24.
The Major Dhyan Chand National stadium will serve as the venue for the epic showdown, which has delivered some classics over the past few years.
Indian hockey fans won’t want to remember the last meeting between these two sides as it happened during the Paris Olympics 2024. In the semi-final match, despite dominating large portions of the game, India went down fighting to Germany 3-2 and had to settle for the bronze medal match in the end. While it was an Olympics campaign that saw the Indian team record some big wins, the loss to the German side was the only blemish in Paris.
Harmanpreet Singh and Co will now look to correct that during the 2 matches in New Delhi, as the city welcomes back the sport for the first time since 2014. The city holds a special place in the hearts of Craig Fulton and Harmanpreet. Fulton made his senior debut for South Africa in Delhi in 1995 as a 21-year-old at the 1995 Indira Gandhi Gold Cup, held at the same stadium. His return to this historic venue, now as head coach of the Indian national team, is a full-circle moment in his career.
“It’s a special feeling to be back at this iconic venue, where my international journey began nearly three decades ago. To return here, but this time as the coach of the Indian national team, is truly remarkable. Playing a series against a top team like Germany in front of passionate home fans adds to the significance of the occasion. So, yes, life has indeed come full circle for me, and I’m looking forward to guiding this talented group of players in such an important series. It’s a moment of pride and reflection for me personally, and I hope we can deliver a memorable performance,” said Fulton during the press conference on October 22.
For Harmanpreet, it was a nostalgic trip back to his junior camp days but the Indian captain was quick to state that he would want his side to ensure that they keep the intensity high against the reigning World Champions and Paris Olympics silver medallists.
“Intensity will be same as it was in Paris, but I think what is important is to learn from every match, whether you win or lose. Every team follows 2 to 3 structures, and our focus will be on that,” said Harmanpreet.
With all the elements of a thrilling series, India and Germany will be aiming to serve up some exciting hockey in front of the Delhi crowd.
India vs Germany: Head-to-Head
Since 2013, India and Germany have faced each other in a total of 19 matches. India has won 8 of these matches while Germany emerged on top in 7 of them. 4 matches have ended in draws. Germany have beaten twice this year in close encounters.
India vs Germany: Squads
INDIA SQUAD FOR GERMANY SERIES
GOALKEEPERS
1. Krishan Bahadur Pathak
2. Suraj Karkera
DEFENDERS
3. Jarmanpreet Singh
4. Amit Rohidas
5. Harmanpreet Singh (C)
6. Varun Kumar
7. Sanjay
8. Sumit
9. Nilam Sanjeep Xess
MIDFIELDERS
10. Manpreet Singh
11. Vivek Sagar Prasad (VC)
12. Vishnu Kant Singh
13. Nilakanta Sharma
14. Shamsher Singh
15. Mohd. Raheel Mouseen
16. Rajinder Singh
FORWARDS
17. Mandeep Singh
18. Abhishek
19. Sukhjeet Singh
20. Aditya Arjun Lalage
21. Dilpreet Singh
22. Shilananda Lakra
India vs Germany: When and where to watch
The India vs Germany matches will start from 3 pm IST. The matches will be livestreamed on the FanCode app and website. The games will be telecasted on the DD Sports channel.