India striker Akashdeep Singh’s goal against Malaysia in the Asian Champions Trophy final on Saturday night brought a big smile to the normally poker-faced Craig Fulton’s face.
The South African, who took over as India chief coach in April, knew that a good start to his stint can go a long way. It can win him the confidence of the players and the Hockey India management which, in turn, will allow him to push forward with his own style.
India won bronze at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics but they have failed to match that performance since. The performances in the Pro League were solid but the nine-team tournament, though played among the hockey elite, has rather become a tournament where teams experiment. The 2021 Asian Champions Trophy, their first tournament after Tokyo, saw them finish with a disappointing bronze. In the 2022 Commonwealth Games final they were hammered 0-7 by Australia while a second-string India only managed bronze at the 2022 Asia Cup.
India were experimenting as well but the poor run at the World Cup in January where India ended joint ninth – it was the worst show by a host team at the quadrennial showpiece – led to Australian chief coach Graham Reid’s exit, only seven months before the Asian Games, where the winner gets a direct berth in the Paris Olympics.
This is where Fulton came into the picture. The big task ahead for the 48-year-old is securing a spot in the Olympics. His ‘defend to win’ mantra is completely different to Reid’s all-out attack style.
With Fulton, the focus is on maintaining structure, keeping possession and pushing ahead as a unit. “I like to maintain composure, especially when we are under real pressure so that everyone remains calm, confident and knows what to do,” said Fulton, who guided Belgium to the Olympic gold as assistant coach.
Counterattacking comes naturally to India, but Fulton wants the team to switch to the half-press. The aim is to first slow down the opposition and then poach the ball, if possible, to always maintain pressure. A full press can sometimes leave you vulnerable at the back, but this, if done right, will give the team a more solid feel.
“Hard press is in the DNA of the Indian team but half-press and playing a little deeper is something we need just to get confident with. At the same time, we need to be able to press hard as well,” Fulton said.
The pieces are finally falling in place. In the eight Pro League matches in Europe under Fulton – his first India assignment – the team won four. In the four-nation invitational in Spain last month, Fulton tried out various combinations. And at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium here, the Harmanpreet Singh-led outfit played perhaps their most confident hockey since Tokyo, topped off with a brilliant come-from-behind 4-3 win against Malaysia in the final.
Players take the calls
Hockey is a sport that is largely managed from the bench. The starting 11, rolling substitutions, tactical switches, all of it ensures that the coach’s brain is kept busy for the entire 60 minutes. Fulton though looks at things differently.
“I don’t do a lot of coaching from the sidelines, but during training. That’s where the ideas are installed,” he said. “The boys are the leaders; they execute the plans. Not a lot of coaching (during the game) but maybe a few things that need to be changed to become a little bit sharper. But it’s up to the senior players to take calls. That’s what we are trying to instill in the group, that they have the decision and responsibility to call some of the presses or what they want they want to do.”
This is why the win in the final felt so good. India were in a tough spot but showed strength of character by never giving up.
“Finals are cagey affairs. So, having a game like this really counts. At the same time, it’s not the Asian Games. So, our feet are firmly on the ground,” said Fulton. “The character of the team is great. It is a really important step because you need to know that you can come from behind as it’s easy to play when you are up by two or three goals.”
The victory aside, the tournament also showed that this India team is still coming together from a tactical point of view. Conceding two goals to China, ranked 25 spots below India, showed the defence needs some work. The draw against Japan showed they can be wasteful. And the three successive Malaysian goals were a rap on the knuckles.
“We’ll do a full assessment of where we are at, including the Pro League, the Spanish games and Asian Champions Trophy because they are all important for every step of our process,” Fulton said. “How to tackle if a team is trying to come back despite you being up is also a big challenge. We’ve covered a lot of those areas before the Asian Games but have a lot of work to do. We are on a little journey at the moment but still got another step to go.
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