India suffered a 4-2 defeat against England in their second Pool D match of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands, on August 17. India had taken a 2-1 lead in the first half but could not maintain its momentum after the interval.
The match began with fast-paced and attacking hockey. India controlled possession in the opening minutes and attempted to put pressure on England’s defence. In the seventh minute, Jarmanpreet Singh had a good opportunity to score, but his effort went wide.
England opened the scoring in the 14th minute. A precise aerial pass caught the Indian defence off guard, allowing Nicholas Bandurak to give England a 1-0 lead.
India responded early in the second quarter after earning a penalty corner. Captain Harmanpreet Singh converted with a powerful flick into the upper-left corner to make it 1-1.
India then moved ahead. Hardik Singh created a move from the baseline and played the ball to Abhishek. Abhishek timed his pass to Dilpreet Singh, who converted the opportunity to give India a 2-1 lead.
India remained in control until half-time, with its attack continuing to put pressure on England.
The match changed in the third quarter as England adopted a more attacking approach and repeatedly challenged the Indian defence.
In the 39th minute, Stuart Rushmere scored with a reverse-stick effort to level the score at 2-2. England then regained the lead in the 43rd minute when Henry Croft’s powerful hit went past Indian goalkeeper Mohith and into the goal. It was Croft’s first goal in the World Cup.
India made several attempts to equalise in the final quarter, but England’s defence held firm. In the 55th minute, Nicholas Bandurak scored his second goal with an accurate low flick from a penalty corner to extend England’s lead to 4-2.
The score remained unchanged until the final whistle.
England recorded its second consecutive victory to reach six points and move to the top of Pool D. India has three points from two matches, with one win and one defeat.
India’s final Pool D match will be against Pakistan, which will determine the team’s further position in the pool and its hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
