New Delhi, Aug 15 (PTI) To watch the Indian men’s hockey team embrace a new philosophy aimed at strengthening its defense and finally find it paying off at the Paris Olympic Games in the form of a bronze medal, was an incredibly rewarding experience, head coach Craig Fulton said on Wednesday.
It was broadly recognized that the primary weakness of the Indian hockey team, both historically and currently, has been its defense. The strikers and midfielders traditionally focused on attacking.
However, this shifted with Fulton’s appointment in March last year. A prime example of this change was the Indian team’s courageous defensive performance in the quarterfinal against Britain, where they held a formidable opponent to a 1-1 draw despite being down to 10 men for nearly 40 minutes.
“I was pleased with defence for coming in with a new philosophy and trying to get guys to buy into it. And you know, once they started to see it bear fruit that we could stay in game for longer,” Fulton told PTI.
However, without key defender Amit Rohidas, the Indian team faltered against a high-scoring Germany, losing the opportunity to reach the Paris Olympic final.
“We lost the one game that was really important, the semifinal where we conceded three goals in that game. So that wasn’t up to the level that we know we can play at. But they’re (Germany) a good team and they took their chances and we didn’t,” Fulton said.
“We had great results against Holland all the way through. We had great results against Australia. It was close. Top teams, even Belgium, and close games with GB as well. And it came good in the end of the day,” he added.
In the lead up to the Olympics, India had lost 0-5 to Australia in a Test series, the result which seemed demotivating but Fulton remained unperturbed.
“I was not thinking about results. I was thinking about planning how we’re going to beat these teams in the Olympics where it counts. You can lose five games, it doesn’t matter. And that was my whole plan.”
The celebrations of winning an Olympic medal will have to be cut short as the Asian Champions Trophy begins on September 8.
“Well, it’s just more or less looking back at the tournament and having a reflection first. It’s just really sudden. We’ve only been 10 days. So, normally it takes a bit of time to think it through and work out what was really good and what we need to improve.”
Asked what the biggest challenge has been for the 49-year-old since joining the Indian set up, he said “to get back on track, set a vision, a really bold vision and returning on the podium in the Olympics and World Cup.”
“We showed that we have the ingredients to succeed at the top level. That semifinal was very close, the Indian brand of hockey was very exciting. We played one of our best games against Australia I think we should have won that game 4-1 no 3-2.
“The ultimate goal is the 2026 World Cup and the LA28,” Fulton declared.
