Aussie Ambush! India’s Early Brilliance Fades in Dramatic FIH Pro League Turnaround

Unknown Apr 02, 2026 1,000 Views

Indian men's and women's national hockey teams were left disappointed in their FIH Pro League 2025 European campaigns again, the two teams losing to Australia in closely contested matches on June 14. The men's team, who had a good start and led by two goals courtesy of Abhishek's double, lost 2-3 in Antwerp, Belgium, in a five-match losing streak. The women's team, meanwhile, made a dramatic comeback but could not pull it off, losing 2-3 in London after losing 0-3.

Key Highlights:

Men's Match:

India led 2-0 courtesy of goals from Abhishek in the 8th and 35th minutes.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh was unavailable due to injury.
Australia replied with Nathan Ephraums' 42nd-minute goal, followed by Joel Rintala's penalty corner conversion (56') and Tom Craig's penalty corner conversion (60'), the latter securing the game with just 43 seconds remaining.
Indian goalkeeper Suraj Karkera did make important saves but was unable to prevent the late onslaught.
India are fifth in the group, their aspirations of getting to the top three in shatters.

Women's Match:

Australia dominated 3-0, with Courtney Schonell, Lexie Pickering, and Tatum Stewart scoring.
India's Deepika (44') and Neha (52') started the comeback, but Australia held on to their grip in a cliff-hanger finish.
Loss puts India in seventh place in the women's Pro League table.

Match Details & Live Streaming Venue:

Men's game at Wilrijkse Plein, Antwerp, Belgium; Women's game at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, London.
Date: Saturday, 14th June, 2025
Live Telecast: Star Sports Network (India)
Live Streaming: JioHotstar
website and app (India)
Men's Match Time: 2:00 PM IST
Women's Match Time: 3:30 PM IST

What's Next?

Indian squads will once again face Australia in their upcoming FIH Pro League matches, seeking redemption and badly needed morale boost as their European legs continue.

Source: Business Standard, News18, Times of India, Hindustan Times, Olympics.com, ESPN

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