The Indian men’s hockey team chief coach Craig Fulton high-fived the staff and smiled. The team had scored a brilliant, seven-touch goal against world champions Germany in the FIH Pro League on June 1. The South African though wasn’t beaming on Sunday as Harmanpreet Singh and Co squandered a 2-1 lead and lost to hosts Great Britain 3-2 in London.
It’s been that kind of a Pro League season for India. Sensational in patches, off-colour in blocks with nervy endings, giving away goals, and at times games. Five wins and losses each, three shootout wins and as many defeats sum up India’s show in the nine-team tournament that has largely become a practice ground for most teams as they prepare for the Olympics.
Still, the elite event gives coaches a fair idea of where their teams stand against the world’s best. Wins against Germany, Argentina, Spain and Ireland give India hope for Paris but losses against the world’s best – Australia, Olympic champions Belgium and Great Britain – has given Fulton a lot to brood over.
“Like all teams, India is going through the process of Olympic selection. That always slows down performance. I don’t think we have seen the very best India can be. They are probably playing at 80% of their capacity at the moment. As we get closer to the Olympics, some of the strengths like penalty corners (PC) and counterattacks will come into play a bit more,” Shane McLeod, who guided Belgium to gold at the 2018 World Cup and 2021 Tokyo Olympics, said from Antwerp.
Barring the 1-7 debacle against Australia, consistency was key for India at Tokyo as they clinched an Olympic medal – bronze – after 41 years. That steadiness is absent at the moment. Besides, India’s performances in away games were below par compared to their show at home. The conditions in Paris will be similar to those in Antwerp and London where India played the last two legs of the league.
India leaked goals, especially at crucial junctures, giving away 35 goals in 16 matches. During penalty corner (PC) defence, Amit Rohidas and Manpreet Singh gave it their all as first rushers, but opposition teams still found ways to get through the defence multiple times, especially in the dying moments of the match, an Achilles heel for India.
“They have taken quite a few goals. But I don’t think it’ll happen at the Olympics. They will tighten up. Some of it was personnel driven while some of it was trying to put the team together. It is going to be a focus area for India,” added McLeod, who is now a consultant with Belgium.
“PC defence can also be tightened up. They are still taking some goals. First running has improved quite a bit, so it is more difficult to get around the first runner. But they will be hoping to have a perfect battery for defending corners by the time the Games come about.”
With 12 goals, skipper and drag-flicker Harmanpreet was India’s top scorer for the third season on the trot. But the second PC battery comprising Jugraj Singh, Sanjay and Rohidas hasn’t fired much. That doesn’t seem to be a worry for the experts.
“Belgium have Tom Boon and Loick Luypaert too, but it is always Alexander Hendrickx who is doing the trick. He is taking 90% of the flicks. You just have to adjust. That is what Olympic champions Belgium do at the top of the D,” former India coach Sjoerd Marijne said from Den Bosch, Netherlands.
“Harmanpreet is a world-class drag-flicker. One of their keys to success would be to make sure India get enough PCs so that he is not under pressure each time he flicks. If they get 1-2 every game, it’s really hard but if they’re getting 5-6 you’re almost guaranteed he will get 1-2 of those, on a good day even three.”
One of the positive signs for India though was the brilliance of the forwards – Olympic bronze medallists Mandeep Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Gurjant Singh, and newcomer Abhishek. Their individual skill resulted in many goals, lessening the impact of the lack of a strong second PC battery.
“Mandeep up front is a world-class player. He is always dangerous, building up really nice connections with other players. Sukhjeet and Abhishek also showed real talent and ability. They are surely going to be players for the future if they don’t make the Olympic selection,” added McLeod.
With less than 50 days left, Fulton has a lot of fine-tuning to do before India open their Games campaign against New Zealand at the Stade Yves-du-Manoir on July 27.
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