The Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams remained static at sixth and 10th positions respectively in the latest rankings released by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
The Indian men’s team was at the sixth spot since the beginning of this year and maintained its position throughout 2017.
India’s third place finish at the recently-concluded Men’s Hockey World League (HWL) Final in Bhubaneswar though helped them reduce the gap with fifth place Germany significantly, they failed to topple them. India now have 1566 points, while Germany have 1680.
Australian men’s team reclaimed the top position from Argentina after posting a 2-1 win over the same opponents in the title clash of the HWL Final.
The Kookaburras have knocked the Pan American champions from the top for the first time since the 2016 Rio Olympics. Until the Rio Games, Australia had held on to the top spot since January 2014. Belgium and the Netherlands remained unchanged at third and fourth places respectively.
{{/usCountry}}The Kookaburras have knocked the Pan American champions from the top for the first time since the 2016 Rio Olympics. Until the Rio Games, Australia had held on to the top spot since January 2014. Belgium and the Netherlands remained unchanged at third and fourth places respectively.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team, who started the year at the 12th spot, jumped up two places to 10th.
Their Asia Cup win last month helped them gain two positions, leapfrogging Spain and Japan. The Netherlands maintained their position at the top after claiming the Sentinel Homes HWL Final title last month. England and Argentina retained second and third places respectively following their involvement in the Auckland competition.