The Indian men's and women's hockey teams remained at 6th and 10th positions, respectively, in the latest rankings released by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
The Indian men's team was at the sixth spot at the beginning of this year and managed to maintained its position throughout 2017.
The team had a disappointing start to the year, finishing third in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup – a tournament they were favourites to win. That was followed by another dismal performance at the Hockey World League Semi-Final where India finished sixth after losing to lower-ranked Malaysia and Canada.
However, the team went on to lift the Asia Cup in October and clinched the bronze medal at the Hockey World League Final in December to retain their position and also reduce the gap with fifth-placed Germany.
India now have 1566 points, while Germany have 1680.
Australian men's team reclaimed the top position from Argentina after defeating the same opponents 2-1 in the summit clash of the HWL Final.
The Kookaburras have knocked the Pan American champions from the top for the first time since the 2016 Rio Olympics. Until the Rio Games, Australia had held on to the top spot since January 2014.
Belgium and the Netherlands remained unchanged at third and fourth places respectively.
Women’s Team Jump Two Places
The Indian women's hockey team, who started the year at the 12th spot, jumped up two places to 10th.
Their Asia Cup win in November helped them gain two positions, leapfrogging Spain and Japan.
The Netherlands maintained their position at the top after claiming the Sentinel Homes HWL Final title last month.
England and Argentina retained second and third places respectively following their involvement in the Auckland competition.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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