FIH Hockey Pro League: Hardik Singh proves to be India’s heartbeat, PR Sreejesh stands tall again as hosts edge out Netherlands in thriller

That Hardik Singh is the heartbeat of the Indian men’s hockey team couldn’t have been more evident than on Sunday in Bhubaneswar.

The vice-captain was at the centre of most things good his side did in the FIH Hockey Pro League match against world No. 1 Netherlands.

In a riveting game between two top sides, India took the lead through Hardik and scored an equaliser late on thanks to captain Harmanpreet Singh, from a PC that his deputy won. A 2-2 draw saw the teams share a point each before PR Sreejesh showed in class in the shootout as India won an additional bonus point.

It wasn’t quite two teams going all-out attacking throughout the game, it was a bit of ‘cat-and-mouse’ as Dutch coach Jeroen Delmee put it at half time. But the match built up into a nice crescendo before India edged it in the end.

Speaking before the match, India head coach Craig Fulton hoped that India would match themselves well up against the world No. 1 and, while there were a few worrying mistakes, the South African would have been pleased with what he saw overall.