HOCKEY
Indian women’s hockey team leaves for Germany for final phase of WC preparation
The Indian women’s hockey team departed for Frankfurt, Germany, on Wednesday, where it will undergo the final phase of its preparations for next month’s FIH World Cup, to be co-hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium.
The team travelled from Bengaluru to Mumbai before boarding its onward flight to Frankfurt.
The Indian team will play two practice matches against Germany on July 31 and August 1 apart from its training camp to fine-tune combinations and adapt to the European conditions.
The team will depart for Amsterdam on August 2 to continue its World Cup preparations in the Netherlands.
India will begin its campaign against China on August 16, followed by matches against South Africa and England in Pool D.
India captain Salima Tete is confident about the team’s good showing in the quadrennial showpiece to be held from August 15 to 30.
“The entire squad is looking forward to the challenge ahead. We’ve had a good training block, and now it’s about carrying that momentum into the practice matches and then the World Cup,” Tete said before the team’s departure.
“Facing China in our opening game will be an important test, and we want to start the tournament on a positive note. As a team, we are determined to give our best and make the country proud.”
– PTI
SQUASH
Indian men & women advance to World Junior squash team competition quarters
Indian men and women advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Squash Junior Team Championships underway in Ontario, Canada.
While fifth seed Indian men survived a scare against No 11 seeds Kuwait before prevailing 2-1 in the pre-quarters, the women progressed with a straightforward victory over South Africa in their final group match.
In the quarters, Indian men will meet England and the women will face USA.
Aryaveer Dewan levelled the tie for Indian men following Yusha Nafees’ early setback, and Gurveer Singh sealed the win
“(Kuwait’s) Abdullah came out fighting in the opening match and didn’t let us settle in the first match, but that’s the atmosphere that comes with team squash,” India head coach Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu said.
“We were fortunate that our No 1 and No 3 strings were able to come back into the tie, staying focused, and it worked out for us in the end.”
Looking ahead, Sandhu said, “England is a very strong team. Some of our boys played them last week in the individual event. So we are ready to go back, plan well and come back strong tomorrow.”
India results:
Men (pre-quarters): India bt Kuwait 2-1 (Yusha Nafees lost to Abdullah Ali 4-11, 5-11, 7-11; Aryaveer Dewan bt Khaled Walead Al Fouzain 11-5, 11-6, 11-5; Gurveer Singh bt Abdul Rahman Al Sanea 11-3, 11-3, 11-4).
Women (group 4): India bt South Africa 3-0 (Rudra Singh bt Makayla Naidoo 11-4, 11-5, 11-3; Anahat Singh bt Brianna Robinson 11-1, 11-1, 11-3; Saanvi Kalanki bt Vivienne Van Der Schyff 11-4, 11-3, 11-3).
– Team Sportstar
Published on Jul 29, 2026
