Running from January 18 to June 14, 2020, the FIH Pro League saw India host half of its sixteen matches. By February 9th, the Indian side had already claimed three wins on home soil. The tournament's round-robin format required teams to play each other twice, which India viewed as an essential preparation phase for the upcoming Olympics, where the level of competition is expected to be even more grueling. Their first challenge was a two-match series against the Netherlands at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar.
India opened strong with a 5-2 win in the first match against the Netherlands. The second game was a tight 3-3 battle that India eventually won 3-1 in a shootout, giving them a perfect start. Their next challenge arrived on February 8th at Kalinga Stadium against Belgium, a powerhouse ranked in the global top three. India managed a 2-1 victory, driven by exceptional goalkeeping and coordinated attacking plays. The two teams met again the next day, Sunday, February 9th, at the same location.
Belgium took an early lead in the second game, scoring a penalty corner goal through Alexander Hendrickx. They quickly doubled their advantage in the first quarter, with Arthur van Doren and Maxime Plennevaux pushing the score to 2-0. India eventually found their rhythm, clawing back into the game when Lalit Upadhyay converted a penalty corner. The momentum continued into the second quarter; after a drag flick from Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas managed to find the back of the net, leveling the score at 2-2.
As India pushed to regain control, a mistake during a chase by Harmanpreet Singh allowed Belgium's Plennevaux to seize the opportunity and score in the 26th minute. India spent the final 15 minutes fighting to get back into the match, but Belgium's relentless offense kept India's defense and goalkeeper Sreejesh P Raveendran under constant pressure. Ultimately, Belgium secured the win with 3 points, recording 19 circle entries and 9 shots on goal, while India ended with 2 points despite a more aggressive approach with 28 entries and 11 attempts.