India squandered a one goal lead to lose 1-2 to Olympic champions Netherlands in the first match on Saturday.
The Indian side showed promise in the early phases of the first half, with captain Harmanpreet Singh converting a penalty corner to give his side the lead. The Dutch side, however, made a strong comeback and ultimately emerged victorious courtesy of a brace from Thijs van Dam, which included the winning goal in the 58th minute.
With seven games left to play in the competition, India currently stand fourth in the points table with 15 points.
“We did well in the first half but the third quarter wasn’t as good. In the fourth quarter we did well again and were winning the ball, but we weren’t getting any shots on goal.
“It was unfortunate to lose like that because I thought we could push for a draw. We want to push ourselves as hard as we can, especially against a team like the Netherlands,” India head coach Craig Fulton said after the match.
With next year’s World Cup spot up for grabs, India will aim to do well in the remaining matches and gain maximum points against challenging opponents.
India played the home leg of the Pro League in Bhubaneswar earlier this year, when they amassed 15 points with five wins in eight games. PTI ATK BS BS
