London: The Indian men's hockey team made a dream debut at the FIH Pro League, beating world number three Netherlands 5-2 in the opening match of the two-game encounter here on Saturday. Rupinder Pal Singh (12th, 46th minutes) converted two penalty corners, while Gurjant Singh (1st), Mandeep Singh (34th) and Lalit Upadhyay (36th) scored three fine field goals for India. Jip Janssen (14th) struck from a set piece, while Jeroen Hertzberger (28th) scored from a field effort for the Dutch side.

After having missed the first edition of the Pro League, the Olympics-bound India kick-started their preparations for the quadrennial showpiece in earnest. With all the top teams of the world in the fray, the home-and-away Pro League is looked upon as an ideal preparation for world number five India ahead of the Summer Games later this year.