But India conceded a goal in 41 seconds of the game starting with Joaquin Toscani scoring. Then, Argentina doubled their lead in the 6th minute with Nicholas Della Torre scoring from a penalty corner. Sukhjeet managed to pull a goal back before the first quarter ended. In the second minute of the third quarter, Tomas Domene scored Argentina’s third goal and then scored his second goal seconds before the third quarter ended to make it 4-1! In the final quarter, Joaquin Toscani’s brother Lucas got into the act, scoring his second goal at the tournament to give Argentina a 5-1 lead.
India had come into the game with a 1-3 defeat against defending champions and hosts Netherlands.
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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.
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