5 min readMumbaiFeb 15, 2026 09:35 AM IST
First published on: Feb 14, 2026 at 10:50 PM IST
It was more a shrug than a save — an attempted one, at least. Hugo Labouchere’s flick was a thunderbolt, but at a comfortable height for the Indian goalkeeper, Suraj Karkera. Instead of using his stick, however, Karkera did something unconventional — he tried to shoulder it away. He couldn’t stop the ball, which nearly tore through the net.
Minutes earlier, Nilakanta Sharma had done well to draw a foul at the top of the Belgian circle. A veteran of more than 150 matches, the midfielder forgot a basic rule in his haste to restart play — he didn’t stop the ball. Aditya Lalage’s celebration, after slipping it through the goalkeeper’s legs from the consequent move, was cut short. And India lost a chance to seize momentum.
Moments later, Hardik Singh shot Karthi Selvam a death stare. Selvam was tracking his man inside India’s ‘D’ when Belgium launched an aerial ball to breach the defence. Selvam strayed into the attacker’s space, and the referee awarded a penalty corner – another basic error. Livid, Hardik pointed to his temple.
Not just Selvam, several of Hardik’s teammates could have used sharper game intelligence against Belgium in another FIH Pro League drubbing on Saturday.
If this were boxing, the umpire would have stopped the fight after 16 minutes — out of pity. Not for the players, but for the fans. After the 8–0 spanking at the hands of Argentina on Thursday, India conceded four in the first 17 minutes against Belgium on Saturday. The team management will sell it as a poor quarter here, a few lapses there. But deep down, even they will know that India, right now, are a shambles.
The final scoreline on Saturday read 4–2 in Belgium’s favour. It suggests a fightback after what initially looked like another surrender. But the comeback never truly materialised; it was a mirage. In truth, there was a greater chance of Belgium scoring six or seven than India clawing their way back to 4-4.
5 changes, 0 impact
Coach Craig Fulton tried to shake up the line-up by making five changes from the previous match. None, however, made an impact.
Debutant Amandeep Lakra, the much-talked-about drag-flicker, was never allowed to showcase his skills. The two penalty corners India earned were taken by Harmanpreet Singh, still searching for his best form. He offered a flicker of hope, converting one, but for the remainder of the game, the captain looked woefully out of sorts.
So did the rest. India repeatedly lost possession in midfield, allowing Belgium to pile relentless pressure on the hosts’ defence. The aerial balls — India’s go-to tactic in recent years — failed to find their targets, and the slap-hits into the ‘D’ were either blocked with ease or sailed harmlessly wide. Abhishek was industrious up front, but often isolated, starved of service by teammates who either lacked sharpness or held on to the ball too long, running straight into defenders.
The statistics told their own story — India were second-best in every key metric. They had less possession (47% to 53%), far fewer circle entries (9 to 25), and earned too few penalty corners (2 to 7) to bring their specialists into play.
Belgium, also blooding youngsters, looked far more ruthless. They were aided by India’s sloppiness. Jarmanpreet Singh switched off inside the circle, conceding the first penalty corner that allowed Belgium to open the scoring in the 11th minute.
Alexander Hendrickx doubled the lead three minutes later with a flick Karkera could have dealt with better. The goalkeeper was under scrutiny again in the 15th minute, but this time his defenders offered little protection. Belgium failed to stop the ball cleanly from a corner, yet were afforded ample time and space to recycle possession until Arthur de Sloover fired in a shot that deflected off Suraj’s pads and into the goal.
Immediately after the restart, Jugraj Singh was penalised for failing to crouch low enough to protect his feet, conceding another penalty corner. Hendrickx’s booming flick beat Pawan to his right. Four goals in six minutes delivered a knockout blow from which India never recovered.
“Keep believing in us,” Harmanpreet pleaded afterwards. Belief, though, is not an issue. Competence is.
FIH Pro League Hockey: The final scoreline on Saturday read 4–2 in Belgium’s favour over India. (Hockey India) 
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