India face mighty Dutch in Women's FIH Pro League match

A faltering India would look to halt the slide when they take on reigning champions the Netherlands in their women's FIH Pro League match here on Monday. India's home leg so far hasn't gone according to script with the team currently placed seventh in the standings with seven points from six games. They had opened their campaign with a thrilling 3-2 win over England but lost the second game against the same opponents in the shoot-out.

Against Spain, the hosts came agonisingly close but suffered back-to-back defeats, first losing 3-4 and then being edged out 0-1 in a tightly-fought match. Against Germany, India endured a 0-4 defeat in the first leg but bounced back by securing a 1-0 win in the second leg. The team would look to forget the dismal run and just carry forward the momentum of defeating Germany in the previous match and hope the Dutch are not at their menacing best.

The Dutch are in dominant form, having comprehensively defeated England 5-1 and 6-0 in their last two matches. They have recorded five wins and just one loss in their six matches, placing them second in the table with 15 points. They will be eager to maintain their momentum and continue their impressive run in the competition. India captain Salima Tete acknowledged that getting past the Dutch would be easier said than done, though she added her team was motivated as they wanted to end the home leg on a high.

"The Netherlands are one of the strongest teams in the world, and we know it's going to be a tough match. But we are motivated to give it our best shot and finish the India leg of the tournament on a high. Our win against Germany gave us a lot of confidence, and we've worked on improving our weaknesses," said Salima.

India and the Netherlands have faced each other seven times since 2013, with the European powerhouse winning five of those matches, while India have secured just one win.

“We will be aiming to play with the same intensity and focus as we did in our previous match (against Germany), and we are determined to capitalise on the opportunities we create. It’s a big challenge, but as a team, we believe in our abilities and are ready to take on the Netherlands," said Salima.

"The head-to-head record shows that the Netherlands have been dominant against us, but we believe we can turn things around. Every match is an opportunity to improve as a team, so we will aim to play our best hockey. We are confident in our abilities and we will be giving everything to challenge them." PTI