The two teams will play two back-to-back matches. The second match will be played on Sunday.
Netherlands’ skipper Billy Bakker admits that the team was competitive in just one quarter and paid the price for it. They will need to up their game manifold on Sunday to turn the tables on the hosts.
FULL TIME: India 5 Netherlands 2
And its all over. India completely dominated the proceedings in the second half and come away deserved winners.
59th minute: India 5 Netherlands 2
Akashdeep Singh attempts to score off a reverse hit but his shot goes wide.
58th minute: India 5 Netherlands 2
Netherlands get a penalty corner but they are denied by Sreejesh.
53rd minute: India 5 Netherlands 2
India have got their sixth straight video referral correct and get a penalty corner. Amit Rohidas takes the penalty corner this time but pushes the ball wide.
46th minute: GOAL! India 5 Netherlands 2
It looks like the Indians can do no wrong now. They get yet another referral right and Rupinder Pal Singh scores his second.
End of third quarter: India 4 Netherlands 2
Mandeep Singh and Lalit Upadhyay have restored India’s two goal advantage. This quarter clearly belonged to the hosts as they pressed forward with purpose and found the back of the net twice within six minutes of the restart. And unlike the first half, they continued to create chances.
43rd minute: India 4 Netherlands 2
The Dutch get a penalty corner at the other end with a quick counter. They get three chances to find the net but the Indian defenders stay tall to avert any danger.
43rd minute: India 4 Netherlands 2
Yet another run from Lalit Upadhyay inside the striking circle but he cannot control the ball.
38th minute: India 4 Netherlands 2
Mandeep Singh had a golden opportunity to increase India’s lead. His attempt is blocked well but India once again goes for a video referral claiming a back stick from the defender. India gets a PC but could not convert.
36th minute: GOAL! India 4 Netherlands 2
India are once again ahead by two goals. Harmanpreet Singh cuts in from the left, dribbles past one defender and pushes the ball inside the circle. Lalit Upadhyay makes no mistake in deflecting it inside the goal.
35th minute: India 3 Netherlands 2
India is getting all their video referrals right so far. Skipper Manpreet asks for penalty corner for a deliberate foot by the Dutch defender and gets it. But Rupinder’s drag flick goes slightly wide.
34th minute: GOAL! India 3 Netherlands 2
That was some turn from Mandeep Singh. He buries that shot in the net to give India the lead once again. India started with a fanatic pace after the break and are duly rewarded.
HALF TIME: India coach Graham Reid admits that the team stopped doing the things they were doing after going up 2-0 and that allowed the visitors to make a comeback.
End of 1st half: India 2 Netherlands 2
The Dutch have come back well in this quarter. They showed more purpose in the second quarter and attacked from both flanks. They could have scored a couple of goals if not for Sreejesh, who came up with two good saves. But even he could do nothing when Diede van Puffelen made a run from the left flank and Hertzberger had to just tap the ball in for the equaliser.
Will be interesting to see how the Indians respond after the long break.
28th minute: GOAL! India 2 Netherlands 2
The Indian defenders fail to check the Dutch attack from the left flank and Jeroen Hertzberger has to effect a simple tap in to level the scores for the visitors.
25th minute: India 2 Netherlands 1
Netherlands are given another penalty corner as the referee thinks the ball hit Rupinder Pal Singh’s leg. But the defender asks for a video referral immediately and his appeal is upheld.
24th minute: India 2 Netherlands 1
Sreejesh is showing why he is still the No 1 goalkeeper in India. He makes yet another save under pressure as the Dutch launch another attack from the right.
20th minute: India 2 Netherlands 1
Netherlands have started this quarter with a purpose. They have been attacking from the right and have already forced Sreejesh, who replaced Krishna Pathak at the break, into making a save. They get a penalty corner. The first was blocked by Amit Rohidas but the Dutch get another one as the ball hit his foot. The visitors even get a third shot at it but Sreejesh palms the ball off.
END OF 1st quarter: India 2 Netherlands 1
The Indians were quick off the block after the push back and that allowed them to take control of the first quarter. They had scored twice even before the visitors had a shot at Indian goal. They will be happy to pull one back though from the only penalty corner they got in the match so far.
The Dutch, however, seems to have lost the services of Floris Wortelboer after he left the field clutching his left arm soon after collecting a ball unchallenged in his own half.
13th minute: GOAL! India 2 Netherlands 1
The Dutch get their first penalty corner and Jip Janssen scores for the visitors.
11th minute: GOAL! India 2 Netherlands 0
The Dutch haven’t been able to trouble Indian custodian Krishna Pathak so far in the opening quarter. India looking to find another goal through a counter. Lalit Upadhyay was obstructed on the edge of the circle and India asked for a referral and get their first penalty corner.
And Rupinder Pal Singh finds the back of the net thanks to a deflection from the Netherlands defender
5th minute: India 1 Netherlands 0
Both teams are playing fast paced hockey with the visitors now looking for an equaliser. But that is providing the Indians an opportunity to counter attack and they made the most of it.
1 minutes: GOAL: India 1 Netherlands 0
What a start for India. The Indian midfield intercepts the ball immediately after the push back and they launch an attack from the left and Gurjant Singh scores. The hosts needed just 26 seconds to score.
Kick off: India 0 Netherlands 0
India has decided to field Krishna Pathak instead of the experienced PR Sreejesh in goal. Coach Reid has decided to experiment from the start. He is clearly thinking about Tokyo.
7.00 pm: Indian coach Graham Reid says he would want the team to keep things simple and play to their strength. Will the boys heed to the coach’s directive or do they have some ace up their sleeve?
6.59 pm: Here is the line up of the two teams
6.55 pm: About five minutes left for India’s first bow in the Pro League.
You can read the preview of the match here
India opted out of the first edition of the Pro League and only managed to find a spot in the second edition after Pakistan was suspended by the world body for not playing their first three matches in the inaugural edition.
India will begin their campaign at home against world No 3 Netherlands and coach Graham Reid has already made it clear that he would use this event to tune up the national team for the Tokyo Olympics. With the team playing world champions Belgium followed by Australia next month, the coach would be keen to try as many players as he can to figure out his final squad for Tokyo.
The Indian team will welcome back midfielders Chinglensana Singh and Sumit, who were out with injuries, for the game against Netherlands and the coach will be keen to see how they fit in the system now.
India and Netherlands have faced-off 10 times since 2013 with the visitors having a slight advantage in the head to head record.