RAJGIR: TWO lesser spotted things in Indian hockey happened within three hours of each other on a pleasant Sunday evening at Rajgir. Shortly before 7.00 PM, Hockey India (HI) president Dilip Tirkey was frank and honest about the direction of the men's hockey team ahead of a big 2026. "The coach and the support staff know we will continue to support them and they have our full and unconditional backing going into the World Cup and Asian Games," Tirkey said to a bunch of journalists. "I have full faith in what Craig Fulton and Co. are doing."
That was followed by one of the most clinical displays of hockey exhibited by the men's team in a major final. Even after some iffy performances in a few of the earlier stage matches, the South African seldom lost sight of the bigger picture. Winning the final. "You either win or you go home."
They never appeared to be in danger of going home against a surprisingly slow-starting South Korea outfit. The final scoreline of 4-1 was a richly-deserved reward for the hosts, who rubber-stamped their 2026 World Cup with continental glory. Perhaps, this is why Tirkey and HI never wavered in their assessment of Fulton & Co. An earlier version of the federation may have considered sacking him after a wretched run of seven losses in eight in the European leg of the Pro League in the Summer.
Now, that's just a distant memory.
As the stench from one of the fireworks following the second Indian goal lingered in the air, the team ranked seventh were creating new, more positive memories. Harmanpreet Singh, who always had the ability to turn into a desi Trent Alexander-Arnold, launched a 50-yard aerial pass to Sanjay inside the D. Sanjay brought it down, evaded his marker before his pass found Dilpreet Singh. He tucked it home to put the gloss on an already commanding performance just before half-time. It was a goal straight out of the dream factory.
If that move was a measure of the hosts' ascendancy, the opener, inside the first 30 seconds (the host broadcaster said it was after '0 minutes'), set them on their way. Harmanpreet was again at the heart of the move, as he drove in the inside left channel before spotting Sukhjeet Singh's run in the box. The forward's fierce hit sent the capacity crowd into instant delirium.
The final could have been a tense affair. India are Asia's best but South Korea's dogged defensive abilities had held them to a 2-2 draw a few nights ago. Not on this night, though, and definitely not after this rapid, all-action start.
After the hosts' fiery start, South Korea, the defending champions, went to their tried and tested methods of man marking the Indian forwards, putting men behind the ball and virtually packing the middle with a lot of bodies. The tourists knew this was the only way of getting back into the contest — keep the deficit down and hope to nick a goal on a set-piece.
But after being frustrated by some very defensive methods in a few of the earlier games, Fulton and the players 'had some honest conversations'. And one of the things they decided to do was play those long diagonals into the box.
It brought about the desired effect against China on Saturday when Harmanpreet and Jarmanpreet Singh did a lot of the playmaking from the first third. They repeated that same trick on Sunday night as the defenders wasted little time in playing those long balls.
They can be tricky to defend against if the passes are pinpoint. India used that as a base to assert their full control on the final. It meant the visitors were hardly afforded a sight of the Indian goal; just two circle penetrations in the first 30 minutes.
Previous Indian teams may have gone for more goals and glory passes but this one is all about maintaining control, structural integrity and recycling possession rather than pouring forward at every available opportunity. This was evident in the last quarter when they held onto the ball, invited the Korean press before playing through them for a series of passes. This was their way of removing time from the game.
A professional display from a team knowing full well the benefits of being professional till the sound of the hooter.
Once it cut through the Rajgir air shortly after 9.10 PM, the players were ecstatic. They have become a serious tournament team under Fulton and this victory was another reminder. They now hold all three continental Cups (Asian Champions Trophy in 2023, Asian Games in 2023 the others) apart from a bronze at the Olympics in 2024.
Fulton and his team — there will be changes in the next 12 months — will now have only one item on their agenda. Chasing global glory in Belgium and Netherlands this time next year.