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The Indians are now assured of a berth for themselves in the quarter-finals of the men's hockey event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
While Craig Fulton's team did the needful by picking up three vital points in their third pool game with a 2-0 win over Ireland, Belgium's stunning 6-2 victory over Australia paved the way for the Indians to advance into the knockout stage.
India is currently in second place in Pool B with seven points from three matches behind Belgium, who have nine points from three games. Australia is third in the pool with six points from three matches, while the Argentinians have four points from just as many games.
While the Indian camp would be more than relieved at having booked a place in the quarterfinals, two big upcoming matches against Belgium and Argentina will determine where the Indians finally end up in their pool.
Unsurprisingly, the Netherlands are currently on top of the points table in Pool A with seven points from three matches. The Germans are second with six points from three games, while Great Britain is in the third spot with five points from three matches.
The Indians would be keen to avoid playing the Dutch in the Olympic quarterfinal while keeping a close eye on how things pan out in Pool A. Germany takes on the Netherlands in a crucial game on July 31 while Spain faces South Africa.
India needs positive results against Belgium and Australia to avoid the Netherlands in Olympic men's hockey quarterfinal
The Dutch, currently ranked second in the world were one of the most consistent teams in the 2023-24 edition of the FIH Pro League.
The Harmanpreet Singh-led-side need positive results against Belgium and Australia to ensure they end up as one of the top two sides in their pool to try and avoid the Dutch in the Olympic quarterfinals
The Belgians sounded the warning bells to all their rivals in the men's hockey competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a sublime and clinical demolition of mighty Australia by a 6-2 margin in their third pool game.
The defending champions therefore appear to have stuck peak form ahead of their pool game against the Indians on August 1. Despite Australia's loss to Belgium, the Kookaburras displayed their brilliance in patches and have a formidable record against India.
The Indians lost all five of their tour matches against Australia earlier this year while also being unable to beat the Aussies in the FIH Pro League.
India who lost 1-7 to Australia in the Tokyo Olympics while having gone down to Belgium in knockout games in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021 do not have history on their side against the two hockey giants.
Despite the assurance of a quarter-final place, the Indian men's hockey team have everything to play for in their final pool games to ensure they take on a relatively lower-ranked side in the big quarter-final.
