Fulton running out of time to fine-tune India’s new game

Indervir Grewal

Chandigarh, May 21

Where does the men’s team stand? With just two months left for the Paris Olympics, this is the hottest question concerning Indian hockey right now.

India’s Pro League games

vs Argentina, May 22 & 26

vs Belgium, May 24 & 25

vs Germany, June 1 & 8

vs Great Britain, June 2 & 9

India’s games over the last six months have provided a window into the team’s preparations. The picture, though, has not been entirely accurate. Since winning the Asian Games gold medal to lock the Olympics berth in October, India have been in experimental mode. The relatively new coach — South African Craig Fulton recently completed one year at the helm — has been trying out different strategies and team combinations while testing out the bench strength.

The upcoming Pro League matches will be the final stretch of competitive hockey for India before the Olympics. Fulton has kept his cards close to his chest about which set of players he will take to Paris by naming a 24-member squad for the eight-game European swing, which will finish off India’s Pro League season.

The games featuring Argentina, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain will give the 49-year-old a perfect platform to test out his strategies and playing combinations for the final time before the Olympics.

It will also give him a better idea about how well the players have imbibed his tactics. Watching India’s previous games made it evident that they were still a work in progress — a team in transition between two coaches and their different styles.

If Australian Graham Reid preferred a high-intensity, high-pressing style, under Fulton, India’s game is built off a deeper defensive platform.

Reid’s team had a more direct approach in attack, going hard at the opposition defence with long passes and fast moves along the flanks. It brought India their first medal at the Olympics in over 40 years. But being somewhat single-paced and one-directional, the system had its shortcomings.

As Reid left after India’s woeful campaign at last year’s 2023 World Cup, the logical step forward for the team was a multidimensional style. Under Fulton, the team has taken the first step into the right direction.

“Under the previous coach, it was mostly high-press hockey at high intensity,” said India midfielder Jarmanpreet Singh. “The current coach makes us play different structures and styles. We alter between the full and half courts, and sometimes we defend much deeper,” he added.

“We change according to the situation during a match but it is also about using different strategies against different teams. The coach does his homework about how every team attacks and defends. There is meticulous planning for each opponent, which leads to clarity about the plays and our roles,” he added.

While Fulton found instant success at the Asian level with his tactics, his team has had a mixed bag of performances against top teams such as Australia, Netherlands and Spain. Of their eight Pro League games so far, India had three wins, one loss and four draws. They were swept 5-0 in the two-nation Test series in Australia.

“The Australia series was a perfect opportunity for trying out different strategies so the results did not matter as much,” Jarmanpreet said.

Trying to play a more complex game means that the team is taking longer to adapt. Though they are largely getting favourable results, there is still confusion leading to lapses in games.

Fulton is self-admittedly a defence-first coach. But even though India prefer defending deeper, they are still being caught out in transition when pushing forward. And when they do press high, their first line of defence is not tight enough. The deep defending roles are not settled either, with players who have very little experience at the back being used in key positions.

Having become a more defensive team, India’s main weapon is the counterattack. But the team seems double-minded about sitting back or going forward. So when counterattacking opportunities arise, India are either slow off the blocks or do not have numbers going forward.

Fulton’s team also prefers a measured approach when in possession, showing an inclination towards building patient attacks. But India’s inability to play through the central channels means they revert to their long-ball strategy, usually taking the aerial route, or attacking along the flanks.

With time running out fast for experimentation, the upcoming matches will provide India with the perfect opportunity to fine-tune their game.