CHENNAI: In every sporting story of a team, there are crests and troughs. Good and bad. Sorrow and joy. Consistent teams dominate. Every team aspires to render justice to their skill through this vocation of consistency. The India men's hockey team continued their below par showing when they lost all their matches in the Rourkela leg of FIH Pro-League matches this month.
With World Cup in August and Asian Games slated in September, this could not have come at a more challenging time. India is sitting precariously on a precipice where one slip could lead the entire team down a dark tunnel. Too many losses would deal a psychological blow and once the joy of winning is lost, any player would say how difficult it would be to get it back.
The lead up to the Pro-league matches in Rourkela, India, was not ideal either, with senior pro Manpreet Singh getting dropped rather controversially. Though speculations swirled around disciplinary reasons, there were other indications that suggested the team would like to move towards fresh legs and new ideas. With this in mind, the team also introduced junior players to the mix. Amandeep Lakra, who made his debut against Belgium last week, would be hopeful of a good show while it will provide the likes of Poovanna Chandura Boby and goalkeepr Mohith HS to show their skill on the astro-turf to cement their places in the team. The likes of Angad Bir Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, and Aditya Arjun Lalage too would want to make a mark.
Though India may have the excuse of introducing junior players, the manner of their losses, including one match by an eight-goal margin will have hurt.
The Hobart leg with ultra aggressive Australia and Spain in the group would provide India to cleanse their Rourkela leg mess. That, however, will also depend on the team that has 'rested' Harmanpreet Singh, who was quite vocal after the defeats in the last leg where India conceded 19 goals. They scored only five.
The limelight focussed on coach Craig Futlon as well. For a team that won bronze at the last edition of the Olympics (in Paris), the way they lost against Belgium and Argentina pointed towards a longer-term malaise. The defence, despite the presence of experienced men, led by Amit Rohidas with 235 caps, Sumit, Jarmanpreet Singh and Jugraj Singh, all sharing more than 100 matches would be under the scanner for letting in goals in the last leg.
In the absence of the Harmanpreet, double Olympic medallist Hardik Singh will lead the side. However, without the regular captain it needs to be seen how the team will cope with high pressure. He usually brings stability to not just the defence and is their primary drag-flicker. He was not happy with India's finishing and had said it in as many words. He too has had a dip in form and some rest might help. But for a team that won the Olympic medal in 2024, India's ambition should go beyond winning the Asian Games and securing an Olympic spot. The World Cup, before the Games, should be the their ultimate goal. Fulton has already said that the work is on to build a strong team but only percentage of wins can turn an experimenting to a professional team.
Yet, before all that, the Pro League in Hobart would give them an opportunity to enthuse some urgency and ideas into their game. Everything would help them gain some confidence going forward. In short, India would be hoping for a Hobart redemption.
India schedule:
Feb 21: vs Spain (12pm)
Feb 22: vs Australia (12pm)
Feb 24: vs Spain (2pm)
Feb 25: vs Australia (2pm)