Indian men's hockey coach Craig Fulton says the team aims to write its own history at the upcoming FIH Hockey World Cup. He stated the squad is focused on bringing pride to the nation, one game at a time, despite being ranked eighth.
The latest edition of the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup will be held from August 14 to 30 this year in Belgium and the Netherlands. India secured a direct qualification to the tournament after winning the men's Asia Cup held on home soil last year. India is drawn in Pool D along with England, Wales and arch-rivals Pakistan.
Having won the 1975 edition by beating Pakistan 2-1 in the final, the World Cup glory has eluded India for the last 50 years. Having registered a ninth-place finish in the 2023 edition held at Bhubaneswar, India will be aiming to bring the gold home, riding on the back of the momentum of two back-to-back Olympic bronze medals, an Asia Cup title win, two Asian Champions Trophy wins and an Asia Cup gold.
'Want to write our own piece of history'
Speaking to ANI, Fulton said that with the rich history of Indian hockey, which includes multiple Olympic gold medals and a World Cup trophy, there is a lot of expectation every time the team plays. "I think if you obviously just tap into the history of the Indian Olympic gold medals, there is the expectation. The expectation is set every time India plays. They expect them to win and to win every tournament they are playing. So, I think at some point, we also have that desire. So, we have an ideal goal. Every tournament we play, we want to win. We want to be competitive," he said.
Fulton said that being ranked at number eight in the world, they have a "six per cent chance" to win the tournament and the team is focusing on taking things game by game. "There is also a realistic side of it. It is where we ranked. So, where is our ranking now? We are seventh, eighth in the world. So, we have got probably like a six percent chance, been given a six percent chance to win this tournament. And that is the beauty of sport. It never works like that. So, we will be judged after the tournament. At the moment, we are preparing to put ourselves in a very strong position. It is all game by game," said the coach.
"Because we cannot play the final now. We have not, you know. So, we only can play the one game, the one opposition that is in front of us. We will go all in for that game and slowly build one game at a time. Try to build momentum and then let us see how far we can go in this tournament," he said.
Blend of youth and experience
The Indian WC squad features an exciting blend of youth and experience. Youngsters like Rajinder Singh, Aditya Arjun Lalage and Shilanand Lakra will be there alongside undisputed stars and legends of the sport such as skipper Harmanpreet Singh, Manpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh and Hardik Singh.
Fulton said that the youngsters take their cues from seniors, and if seniors are confident, things get easier for the youngsters. He also said that youngsters have harboured dreams of representing the Indian team at the grandest stage and have been influenced by not only the performances of the team, but also the iconic 2007 hockey movie 'Chak de India', starring legendary actor Shah Rukh Khan. "In the mind of youngsters, I think they take their cues from the seniors. You know, if the seniors are feeling very confident in their preparation, it is a lot easier for the younger players to follow suit. I think everyone in this squad wants to write their own piece of Indian World Cup history. That is the opportunity we have here," he said.
"And I think with the youngsters following suit, they have all watched Chak de (Chak de India), they have all been part of a history of watching, you know, and being part of wanting to play for India at a major tournament, Olympics, a World Cup, a Commonwealth Games, whatever it is. We have this opportunity now. The team is selected. We are prepared. We want the nation to get behind us," he said.
Focus on performance amid controversies
Fulton acknowledged the controversies that Indian hockey is battling, most notably the controversy around the Orange colour of the new team jersey, but said that the focus is on performance and bringing pride to the country. "You know, it is quite steeped in controversy at the moment. But at the same time, we want to focus on performance. We want to focus on bringing pride to the nation, one game at a time. And who knows? We dream big," he added.
Fulton also expressed happiness with the team's performances and preparations, saying that they have all done a fine job over the past four weeks and feel "fit and confident". "It is very exciting (the road to the tournament). I think we have done a really good job in the last four weeks. Everyone is feeling fit and confident. We have done some really good work on the field and off the field. So, yeah. It is always nice when you get to the last part of your camp, and you start to pack and get ready to go to the tournament. It takes a totally different feel," he signed off.
Recent form and Pro League performance
Most recently, India ended the FIH Men's Pro League in eighth place. India endured a difficult start to the Pro League during the home leg in Rourkela, where they suffered defeats against Belgium and Argentina. The squad knew they had concerns to address to compete consistently with the world's best teams.
Signs of improvement emerged during the Hobart leg. After opening with a 0-2 defeat to Spain, India bounced back to hold hosts Australia to a 2-2 draw. That followed a 1-1 draw against Spain. However, the shootouts in both those matches went in favour of the opposition. The squad regrouped well in the concluding fixture, winning the shootout 3-1 after a fiercely contested 1-1 draw against Australia.
The biggest takeaway from Hobart was the improvement in defence. India conceded just six goals across four matches - three from penalty corners and three field goals - while continuing to show improvement in attack with two field goals and two penalty-corner conversions.
By the time the Pro League reached Europe in June, the upward curve was evident. In Rotterdam, India produced two of their finest results of the campaign, defeating Germany 3-1 and the Netherlands 3-2. Against two of the strongest defensive units in international hockey, India scored nine goals across four matches, with five coming from field play and four from penalty corners. These numbers highlighted an important shift in India's attacking approach, with the side no longer relying solely on its penalty-corner prowess but was consistently creating and converting chances from open play. The momentum continued in London, where India remained unbeaten in regulation time in all four matches against Pakistan and England.
Indian squad for FIH Hockey World Cup
Here's the complete squad for the FIH Hockey World Cup:
Goalkeepers: Mohith HS, Suraj Karkera
Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (c), Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit, Yashdeep Siwach
Midfielders: Rajinder Singh, Aditya Arjun Lalage, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad
Forwards: Dilpreet Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Sukhjeet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Abhishek. (ANI)
