Four matches, four defeats, 19 goals conceded and just five scored.
That's the one-liner for the Indian men's hockey team's start to their FIH Pro League campaign in Rourkela. They started the new season with a 1-3 loss to Belgium, followed it up with a 0-8 drubbing against Argentina, suffered 2-4 against Belgium and ended with another 2-4 loss against Argentina.
In an important year, where they play the World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium followed by the Asian Games, losing matches in such a manner is not a good look. The Pro League matches, where the top teams are in action, are crucial in preparation for bigger and more rewarding tournaments. It allows the coaches to experiment with their strategy and test players who are pushing for a long-term stay in the national team.
The results are not the most important in such matches as long as the team gets preparation right and finds solutions to problems. Even taking all this into context, the performance of the Indian team in the four matches was poor, to say the least. It's particularly not expected when the core group of senior players are playing.
What went wrong?
The one word answer is defending.
And the fault is not with the defenders alone. When India head coach Craig Fulton talks about his philosophy -- 'defend to attack' -- he asks for all the players from back to front to do their part off the ball. When players make mistakes in basic defending, which includes goalkeeping as well, there's no escape against world class teams like Belgium and Argentina.
Misplaced passes, poor positioning, bad tackles, letting in saveable goals and failing to convert penalty corners and strokes.The Indian team were guilty of committing basic mistakes in all four matches. Simple back passes between defenders were misplaced and led to goals. There were goals from penalty corners that should've been saved but weren't. It isn't like these players lack experience at this level. Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Suraj Karkera, Jarmanpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, and Vivek Sagar Prasad are considered seniors in this team, but they were guilty of making mistakes.
There were moments during the four matches that could've gone in India's favour and maybe the result would've been different. When the score was 0-0 against Argentina in the first match, Harmanpreet missed his penalty stroke. Moments later, Argentina scored, and India could never recover. Aditya Lalage opened the scoring in the second match against Belgium, but it was not counted due to an infringement in the build-up. A few minutes later, Belgium scored from the first penalty corner chance and went on to strike three more times, effectively killing the game.
That is the nature of sport. For a team boasting of Olympic medallists, the way they responded to such setbacks was poor.
Should Fulton have rested Harmanpreet?
It goes without saying that an in-form Harmanpreet is vital for this Indian team. While goals from penalty corners are his forte, he's also a playmaker from the back while being a solid defender. Fulton has often depended on Harmanpreet's ability to break down stubborn defences, be it with his aerial balls or long passes through the pitch. His reading of the game is impeccable, helping the team initiate attacks after winning the balls in his own circle.
In the last four games, Harmanpreet was nowhere at his best, whether it was with his defending or dragflicking. He didn't get many chances from penalty corners while he should've done a lot better with his defending. After the 0-8 loss against Argentina, Fulton said Harmanpreet is not being himself. Although not serious, Harmanpreet was still recovering from an injury he sustained in the last match of the Hockey India League. In the past too, the captain has played through niggles and knocks. However, going into an important year, maybe the better option would've been some rest to heal completely.
Playing a player who's not completely fit made little sense when the better option would've been using somebody like Amandeep Lakra to play all four matches. Lakra was a standout from the Hockey India League, scoring nine goals from penalty corners. Fulton had said earlier that he's still building the team for the World Cup and Asian Games, so why not use at least the four matches to give more chances to those who are trying to prove their mettle?
Lakra played just one match in four, similar to the likes of Rosan Kujur and Manmeet Singh.
Is Fulton's job under threat?
The head coach is bound to face criticism when his team concedes 19 goals in four matches, all ending in defeats. There are doubts about his team selection and tactics, which are indeed valid. But this is not the first time he's facing the pressure.
Be it the Australia away test Test series, last year's Pro League and even the Asia Cup in Rajgir -- India have had tough periods where Fulton's methods were questioned. But he's also the coach who guided the team to a famous bronze medal at the Paris Olympics. Under him, India won the Asian Games gold medal and the Asia Cup title.
When it seemed like the team has been on the brink, Fulton and India have managed to turn things around. Fulton's style isn't pretty and attractive, but in big tournaments, he has ensured that India have gotten results. He will continue to stick to his core methods, and he deserves to be the head coach at least till the World Cup.
In Indian hockey, history says anything is possible. Sacking coaches when it's not warranted is not new for the federation. Still, it needs to be said -- removing Fulton at this juncture is not wise at all. Of course, the team has to improve in the upcoming Pro League games in Hobart, he has to show that he can get things right on pitch with his coaching and leadership. The good news is he has shown in the past that he can make it work.