Olympics 2024: Analysing India's opponents in men's hockey

The Indian men's hockey team will be aiming to achieve a back-to-back podium finish after winning the historic bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics was historic and came after a wait of 41 years. That said, the wait for the elusive gold medal continues and the team led by Harmanpreet Singh will look to end that drought.

India is drawn in Pool B along with 2020 Olympics gold medalist Belgium and silver medalists Australia.

Argentina, New Zealand, and Ireland complete the pool.

Here's a closer look at the Group Stage opponents of the Indian team.

India vs New Zealand

Head-to-Head Record: Played: 26, Wins: 26, Loss: 9

India will play the first group game against New Zealand and will want to start with a win.

The trauma of loss against New Zealand in the 2023 Hockey World Cup has been haunting the nation and the team will have a chance to make the amends this time.

Interestingly, India started the Tokyo Olympics campaign with a 3-2 win against the Kiwis, and current Indian skipper Harmanpreet had scored a brace at the time.

India and New Zealand haven't played since the World Cup crossover game in January 2023 but the Indian team should be aware of the prowess of the Kiwis.

With the likes of Blair Tarrant, Simon Child, and Nicholas Woods in their kitty, they can surprise anyone in the tournament.

India vs Argentina

Head-to-head record: Played: 16, Wins: 8, Loss: 4

The 2016 Olympic champion Argentina is always a tricky team to play given their physical style of play and thus, India will not take them lightly.

In the last two meetings between both teams, Argentina has troubled India. India has managed to win one encounter and draw one at the FIH Pro League clash this year.

Captained by experienced Matias Rey, Argentina has a young team and India needs to tackle them carefully.

India vs Ireland

Head-to-head record: Played: 8, Wins: 6, Loss: 1

India has played Ireland two times in six years and both the matches were played in the FIH Pro League 2024.

In the first game, India earned a tough win as Ireland enforced the defensive low block which was only broken by a last minute goal by Gurjant Singh.

While it should not be a problem for the Indian team to go past Ireland, they can prove to be wily fighters and make matters tough for India.

India vs Belgium

Head-to-head record: Played: 30, Wins: 8, Loss: 16

Current Olympic champions Belgium is also in the same pool as India and will prove to be one of the toughest opponents.

Belgium is clearly a gold medal contender.

They have played both World Cup finals and Olympic finals after 2018 and have won two of the finals.

In the last three outings, India has won one, lost one, and drawn one against the Belgians.

With Craig Fulton as the head coach of India, the fans would expect him to find a way to defeat the Belgians as he has served as the assistant coach of the Belgium team in the past.

India vs Australia

Head-to-head record: Played: 48, Wins: 8, Loss: 33

Also known as the bogey team of India, the Australian men's hockey team has been the most dominant opponent for India.

They have defeated India seven times in the last ten encounters.

It will be a tough challenge for the Indian men to keep away from the mental block and win the game against Australia.

India needs to start strongly and maintain their intensity throughout the match, especially avoiding lapses in the 2nd and 3rd quarters to keep the Australians in check.

They should focus on aggressive attacking and playing more aerial passes inside Australia’s circle to find inroads for goal-scoring opportunities.

With four quarter-final berths up for grabs, India would need to finish in the top two of the pool to avoid tough opponents like Germany and the Netherlands.