India’s men’s hockey team has had a roller-coaster journey in the World Cup, from winning the inaugural bronze in 1971 to lifting the title in 1975 and then enduring a long wait for another podium finish.

The eight-time Olympic champions’ only World Cup triumph came in Kuala Lumpur in 1975, when Ajit Pal Singh’s side defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 2-1 in the final.

Pakistan remain the most successful team in the tournament with four titles, while the Netherlands, Australia and Germany have won it three times each. Belgium are the other champions.

Here is a look at India’s World Cup journey through the 2023 edition:

1971 Barcelona

The World Cup was conceived after India and Pakistan jointly proposed a hockey tournament on the lines of football’s World Cup at the FIH Council meeting in 1969. Pakistan were initially awarded the hosting rights, but political tensions between the two countries forced the inaugural edition to be shifted to Barcelona.

India topped Pool A after beating France, Argentina, Kenya and West Germany, but lost 1-2 to Pakistan in the semi-finals. Pakistan went on to beat Spain in the final to become the inaugural champions, while India defeated Kenya 2-1 to take the bronze medal.

1973 Amsterdam

India reached the final of the second World Cup in Amsterdam but missed out on the title after a dramatic finish against hosts the Netherlands. The Indian team finished second in Pool A behind West Germany before beating Pakistan in the semi-finals, with B P Govinda scoring the decisive goal.

The final ended 2-2 after extra time before the Netherlands prevailed in the penalty shootout to claim their maiden World Cup title.

1975 Kuala Lumpur

March 15, 1975 remains the defining date in Indian hockey’s World Cup history.

Led by Ajit Pal Singh, India defeated Pakistan 2-1 in the final to win their only World Cup title so far. Pakistan took the lead, but Surjit Singh equalised in the 44th minute before Ashok Kumar scored the winner in the 51st minute. Seven time Olympic champion India had topped their pool before defeating Malaysia in the semi-finals.

1978 Buenos Aires

India’s title defence ended in disappointment as the defending champions failed to qualify for the semi-finals and finished sixth. India won three of their six pool matches but suffered two defeats, including a heavy 0-7 loss to West Germany. Pakistan regained the title by defeating the Netherlands 3-2 in the final, while Australia finished third.

1982 Mumbai

India hosted the World Cup for the first time in Mumbai but could not make it to the final four, finishing fifth.

Pakistan remained unbeaten and defeated West Germany 3-1 in the final at the Wankhede Stadium to win their third World Cup title.India’s Rajinder Singh Senior emerged as the tournament’s leading scorer with 12 goals.

1986 London

India endured their worst World Cup campaign to that point, finishing 12th and last in London.

Mohammad Shahid, however, was a standout performer for India and his dazzling dribbling earned him the Player of the Tournament award. Australia defeated England 2-1 in the final, while West Germany finished third. Three-time champions Pakistan ended 11th.

1990 Lahore

The World Cup in Lahore was played amid political tensions, hostile home crowd and heightened security concerns.

India, captained by Pargat Singh, finished 10th but earned the FIH Fair Play Award for maintaining their composure in difficult circumstances. The Netherlands defeated Pakistan to win the title, while Australia took the bronze medal.

1994 Sydney

Under captain Jude Felix, India finished fifth in Sydney, their best World Cup result on artificial turf at that stage.

Pakistan defeated the Netherlands 4-3 in a penalty shootout in the final to win the title, with Australia finishing third.

1998 Utrecht

European teams dominated the tournament in Utrecht, with hosts the Netherlands defeating Spain in the final to claim their third World Cup title.

Germany finished third, while India, led by Dhanraj Pillay, struggled to adapt to the conditions and finished ninth.

2002 Kuala Lumpur

The 2002 edition marked the introduction of the 16-team World Cup format.

Germany defeated Australia in the final to win the title, while the Netherlands finished third. India managed three wins, one draw and five defeats in nine matches and ended the tournament in 10th place.

2006 Monchengladbach

India endured another difficult campaign under captain Dilip Tirkey, failing to win a single match in the pool stage.

They drew against South Africa but lost their other matches to finish at the bottom of their pool.

India later defeated South Africa in the classification match, with Rajpal Singh scoring the winner, to finish 11th among the 12 participating teams. Germany defeated Australia in the final to retain the title, while Spain took the bronze medal.

2010 Delhi

India’s biggest highlight at the 2010 World Cup on home soil came in the pool stage when they thrashed arch-rivals Pakistan 4-1 before a packed Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

India finished fourth in their pool and missed out on a semi-final berth, eventually ending the tournament eighth. Australia defeated Germany 2-1 in the final to lift the title, while the Netherlands secured the bronze medal.

India’s wait for another World Cup podium finish continued.

2014 The Hague

India endured a disappointing campaign in The Hague, suffering heavy defeats to Belgium, England and Australia and finishing ninth in the pool stage. Akashdeep Singh was India’s standout performer, scoring five goals in the tournament.

Australia thrashed hosts the Netherlands 6-1 in the final to win the title, while Argentina took the bronze medal.

2018 Bhubaneswar

India hosted the World Cup in Odisha ,the hockey heartland of the country, for the first time.

Led by captain Manpreet Singh, India drew against Belgium and defeated South Africa and Canada to finish top of their pool.

However, the hosts lost a closely fought quarter-final 1-2 to the Netherlands and finished sixth, their best World Cup result in several years. Belgium defeated the Netherlands in a penalty shootout to win their maiden World Cup title, while Australia finished third.

2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela

India hosted the World Cup for the second successive time and again finished second in their pool.

The hosts, captained by Harmanpreet Singh, were knocked out by New Zealand in a penalty shootout in the crossover match and eventually finished ninth. Germany defeated Belgium in a shootout to win the title, while the Netherlands finished third.

Trainer Eddy Reynoso has poured cold water on any lingering hope of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez facing David Benavidez, insisting that the window for the fight has now closed.

Calls for the clash have followed Canelo for several years, particularly while both men campaigned at super-middleweight, with Benavidez repeatedly pushing for the opportunity to challenge the Mexican superstar. Despite the demand from fans and Benavidez’s later position as WBC mandatory challenger, the fight never came together.

Canelo has remained at 168lbs and, according to Reynoso in a recent interview with Ring Magazine, plans to continue campaigning there as the division begins to offer up new options following his loss to Terence Crawford last year.

“We’re going to stay at super middleweight for now. The division is heating up, and we can really stay busy there for the foreseeable future.”

Benavidez, however, has since moved through light-heavyweight and up to cruiserweight, where he has established himself among the leading names at 200lbs with a win over Gilberto Ramirez to become unified champion. That change in weight appears to have ended any realistic prospect of the long-discussed Canelo fight finally happening.

Reynoso was unequivocal when asked whether there was still a route to the contest.

“That fight against Benavidez is done. There was a time when that fight could have been made at 168, and it didn’t happen, so it’s done. He is now fighting at cruiserweight. There is a better chance for Benavidez to fight Oleksandr Usyk than there is to fight Canelo.”

Reynoso’s comments suggest there will be no positive response from them despite the other side making it clear that he would still take the fight at 175lbs, where Canelo has fought twice.

Alvarez returns in October in an attempt to win back his WBC belt against new champion Christian Mbilli. Benavidez, meanwhile, may be set to challenge for the green and gold belt two divisions up.

Ready To Rush, a race mare who has battled a lengthy list of injury concerns, secured an impressive victory in the TAB Highway (1000m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Trainer Matthew Dale has maintained faith in Ready To Rush despite her recurring physical issues, and she is now starting to realise her significant potential.

“She’s had three knee surgeries and there was some talk if we could even get her back,” Dale commented. “But full credit to the ownership group and Kurrinda Bloodstock who have been super patient.”

Dale explained his training location, stating, “I train her solely off my farm just outside of Goulburn so that is why she presented a little ‘wintery’ today. It’s a long way from Cootamundra and Gundagai to these Highways but she has taken that next step, it was great to see.”

Ready To Rush ($11), expertly ridden by Rachel King, managed to fend off Sneaky Pee Cee ($6.50) by nearly a length, with Magic Speed ($81) finishing third.

The favourite, Lady Olenna ($4.40), settled at the rear of the field but put in a strong late run, finishing just over a length behind the winner.

King praised the mare’s attitude, saying, “We had to duck and weave and go inside a horse and she was like ‘are you sure’ but the more I asked her the more she kept finding.”

With this win, Ready To Rush has improved her record to three wins and a second from her four career starts. Her performance now makes her a viable candidate for the $2 million The Kosciuszko.

Dale admitted, “I didn’t have her in my Kosciuszko plans before today. But winner’s win and she is gaining in confidence all the time.”

He revealed that he trains Ready To Rush on a sand track at his farm near Goulburn to assist in keeping her sound. “She had a jump out with two of my better mares So You Pence and Rose Aye the other day and was half a length off them. So You Pence then came out and won a Saturday race and she was half a length off her so that gave us a bit of confidence going into today.”

With The Kosciuszko approaching, those looking for racing odds might find Ready To Rush an intriguing prospect on sports betting platforms.

Chelsea Green has overcome serious obstacles to get to the top of the WWE women’s division.

She’s suffered numerous injuries over the last 12 months or so, including a heart issue that landed her in the hospital and in need of a procedure. Still, she managed to put those problems in the rearview to become the interim WWE women’s champion last weekend at SummerSlam.

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Interim WWE Women’s Championship Chelsea Green makes her entrance during SmackDown at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pa., on Aug. 7, 2026. (WWE via Getty Images)

On Friday, Green was in a tag team match with Tiffany Stratton as they went up against Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid. Green told her followers that she suffered a broken orbital bone during the match as her string of bad luck continues.

“I did get injured last night. Stuff happens. It’s live television. It’s wrestling. It’s an occupational hazard,” Green said in a video posted to her Instagram. “I ended up in the emergency room and I have a broken orbital bone. It looks amazing all things considered. It feels awful but looks pretty amazing.”

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Chelsea Green makes her way to the ring during SmackDown at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif., on July 24, 2026. (WWE via Getty Images)

“I have no idea what that means for me. Usually, you guys have seen me play into every single injury but this feels different, obviously. This feels very different. It feels frustrating. I’m upset. I feel like if I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all. So, I just need to take a bit more time to process and to heal from, obviously, the head trauma that is going on right now and then we’ll see what happens. We’re just gonna take it day by day. So, world domination continues. We’ve just had a minor blip.”

It’s unclear whether Green will be forced to relinquish the interim championship already. She outlasted four other women in a ladder match at SummerSlam to win the title.

Chelsea Green celebrates after winning the Interim WWE Women’s Championship during SummerSlam at U.S. Bank Stadium on Aug. 2, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (WWE via Getty Images)

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Meanwhile, Rhea Ripley also revealed last week that she underwent knee surgery and could be out for a few more months. Ripley is the WWE women’s champion, which was why the interim belt was introduced going into SummerSlam.

Former India batter VVS Laxman has stated that he did not take up the offer to coach the national team after Rahul Dravid’s exit for a couple of specific reasons. He also expressed delight over the progress BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) has made under him in the last couple of years.

After Dravid was named India‘s head coach in 2021, Laxman took over his role as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), which was subsequently renamed CoE. The BCCI had offered him the post of India’s head coach after Dravid’s stint ended in 2024, but Laxman did not take up the opportunity.

Speaking to select media at BCCI’s CoE in Bengaluru on Sunday, August 9, Laxman revealed that he did not take up the offer to coach India due to family reasons and also because he wanted to develop the CoE. He thus extended his term at the BCCI facility for two years. Laxman said (via Rediff.com):

“Because (former BCCI secretary) Jay (Shah) and the BCCI gave me the freedom to execute my vision, and Devajit (Saikia, current BCCI secretary) continues to give me, I’ve extended (stint at CoE) for two years, and I committed to the BCCI that I’m not taking up the head coach position. You all know that I was approached back in 2024.”

The 51-year-old Indian legend added that he wants to establish the CoE, its structure, the processes and the protocols. Laxman stated:

“I just shared with them all the SOPs for every department, you know, before I move on, after the two years’ stay. So I think I’m very happy that I’ve been able – also because of the team we have – to establish a very, very world class programme at the CoE.”

Meanwhile, as per unconfirmed reports doing the rounds, Laxman is being touted as Ajit Agarkar‘s replacement for the post of chief selector. Agarkar’s term as chairman of selectors comes to an end in September.

VVS Laxman hails India batting great as an exemplary professional

During the aforementioned press conference in Bengaluru, Laxman also praised Indian batting run machine Virat Kohli as an exemplary professional and stated that a lot of youngsters look forward to emulate him. Laxman commented:

“I think there is no doubt that Virat is an exemplary professional. And the standards he sets for himself are something which he tries and goes out every time he plays, whichever team, to meet those standards. And that is why he is a great role model. And I think a lot of youngsters or players want to emulate him.”

Meanwhile, Laxman also defended the CoE over the spate of injuries in the Indian camp currently. He stated that the center should not be blamed for the same, claiming that there is seamless coordination between the CoE and the India team management.