India rode on a brace each by captain Harmanpreet Singh and Abhishek to pummel Pakistan 5-3 in their third and last Pool-D league match of the 16th FIH Hockey Mens World Cup at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands today. This was the second win for the Indian men and they secured their place in the second round (knockouts).

Earlier in their first two matches, India beat Wales 3-1 and lost to England 2-4. On the other hand, Pakistan crashed out of the semifinal race, finishing third in Pool-D. The defeat against India today was the 18th in a row for Pakistan.

Two players from Odisha are representing the 20-member Indian squad. They are: defender Amit Rohidas and forward Shillanand Lakra. India will next meet arch-rivals Pakistan on August 19.

India has not been able to win a medal after bagging bronze in 1971, silver in 1973 and gold in 1975. A total of 16 teams, including defending champions Germany, are participating in the 2026 edition.

Teams will play league matches in four groups and the top two teams from each group will qualify for the second round. The second round competition will be conducted in two pools and the top two teams from each pool will advance to the semifinals.

INDIAN MENS HOCKEY TEAM: Goalkeepers: Mohith HS, Suraj Karkera. Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (Captain), Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit, Yashdeep Siwach. Midfielders: Rajinder Singh, Aditya Arjun Lalage, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad. Forwards: Dilpreet Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Sukhjeet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Abhishek. Chief Coach: Craig Fulton.

INDIA RESULTS:

15 August 2026 (Pool-D League): India (Sanjay Rana 8-PC, Harmanpreet Singh 11-PC, 43-PC) beat Wales (Sam Welsh 56-FG) 3-1. PoM: Harmanpreet Singh.

17 August 2026 (Pool-D League): India (Harmanpreet Singh 17-PC, Dilpreet Singh 25-FG) lost to England (Nicholas Bandurak 14-FG, 55-PC, Stuart Rushmere 39-FG, Henry Croft 43-FG) 2-4.

19 August 2026 (Pool-D League): India (Harmanpreet Singh 5-PC, 21-PC, Abhishek 11-FG, 24-FG, Hardik Singh 35-PS) beat Pakistan (Hannan Shahid 22-FG, 46-FG, Sufyan Khan 24-PC) 5-3.