For India to finish among the top two and reach the semi-finals, they need a significant win against Argentina. A three-goal victory would take India’s goal difference to -1 and leave Argentina at -3, with both teams on three points. In that scenario, England would have to lose to the Netherlands by at least two goals, which will take their goal difference to -2. India would then finish ahead of both Argentina and England on goal difference, despite all three teams being level on three points.
There is another route, albeit one that requires an even bigger result. If India beat Argentina by four goals, any defeat for England against the Netherlands would be enough to send India through. However, an England defeat is essential, as a draw would take them to four points and put them beyond India’s reach.
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What Indian men’s hockey team must learn from PV Sindhu — be ruthless
India’s players huddle before the World Cup Field Hockey pool D match between India and Pakistan in Amstelveen, Netherlands, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
The 5 am sessions at the Gopichand academy are a stuff of legend. PV Sindhu knows.
When she trained full-time under Pullela Gopichand, the coach identified a flaw that had little to do with technique. Sindhu had the shots, the reach and the fitness. What she lacked, Gopichand felt, was an edge. She was too nice on court.
So, he turned those pre-dawn sessions into an exercise in provocation. Sparring partners were told to come at her hard — attack, shout, needle her, do whatever it took to get under her skin. Sindhu had to fight back. Show aggression. Scream between points. Stop apologising for being ruthless.
At first, she broke down. Eventually, she changed. That transformation helped turn Sindhu from a player who kept knocking on the door to one who broke it down — and became world champion.
The Indian men’s hockey team could do with a few lessons from those 5 am sessions.
Time and again, India have paid the price for being too soft. This World Cup has exposed that weakness again.