FIH Pro League | Amateur display in a pro league

Bengaluru: It felt like witnessing a multiple-organ failure. Part by part, the Indian men’s hockey team unravelled until they broke into pieces at the FIH Pro League - a tournament that is turning out to be an unmanageable ordeal for the national side. 

With a lone third-place finish in the 2021-2022 season being their best result, Indian men’s record in the nine-team Pro League has never been great. But their worst performance at the event coming last year, when the Craig Fulton-coached side ended a disappointing eighth despite a promising start, had many believe that the team had learnt their lessons and would come out with renewed energy to prove a point in the tournament’s seventh edition this year. 

Instead, an opening match defeat was followed by a disastrous outing. Soon, the fortunes spiralled into a losing streak before India finished off with a razor-thin margin shootout victory. It was just enough oxygen just in time to keep them breathing. In short, eight matches with five losses, zero outright victories and three draws (two defeats and one win in shootouts) gave India four points and placed them hanging at the bottom in the eighth spot, one above Pakistan at the halfway mark. 

The scorelines, especially the 0-8 drubbing against Argentina in the second game, and the cumulative numbers in eight games; nine goals scored (least among nine teams so far) as opposed to 25 goals conceded and 21 penalty corners earned versus 67 conceded, have rung alarm bells. 

Head coach Fulton, however, continues to insist on not panicking. The 51-year-old South African, while agreeing that the four straight defeats at home in Rourkela against Belgium and Argentina did not paint a good picture, also maintained that the squad is going through a phase of experimenting wherein younger legs are being tried to blend with senior guard, keeping in mind the long term goals. To be fair, signs of improvement were evident in the Hobart leg against hosts Australia and Spain. 

But for a team aiming to thrive, how sustainable is it to be in a prolonged survival mode? Especially during a year with the World Cup and Asian Games scheduled less than 30 days apart in August-September in two different continents. 

“Lack of killer instinct,” rues Vasudevan Baskaran, captain of the gold medal-winning Indian side at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and a former coach. “Elementary mistakes which should not have happened,” observes Sandeep Somesh, former international and coach. 

“Most of the Indian boys looked only 30 to 35 percent fit. Professionalism from each player was missing. There was a little more than a 10-day gap between Hockey India League and Pro League. Okay. But look at players like Tom Boon and Alexander Hendrickx... They played both events, top-scorers in HIL as well as for Belgium now and both aged 30 and above.  

“We cannot blame Fulton all the time. What will a coach do if the good players are not performing well,” asks the 75-year-old Baskaran. 

For a team that emphasises on defensive structure and call it its strength, Somesh felt it was this area in which the Indian side crumbled the most. 

“So, we take pride in the way we play as a back defence. And creating chances upfront and catching the opponent on the break is our style of play. However, when you say structure and defence, how often have they been able to maintain the zone they want to take? How often have they been able to channelise the team into the zone they want to steal the ball from? These things are not happening,” says Somesh, who was seated in the commentary box during the Pro League. 

Out of all the statistics from the first eight games, one in particular sums up the struggles of the Indian team more than the rest - the circle penetrations. Match 1: vs Belgium 13:29; match 2: vs Argentina 14:28; match 3: vs Belgium 9:25; match 4: vs Argentina 12:18; match 5: vs Spain 9:23; match 6: vs Australia 14:25; match 7: vs Spain 16:23; match 8: vs Australia 15:25.   

“Circle penetration did not happen for India because our structure is only one forward up. With a defensive structure you cannot expect goals from the boys. When the midfield started going up, we started getting early goals against Australia and Spain. What is the use of making soft tackles? In the forward line, there is no under-pressure attack with communication. Some players need to start getting vocal while playing, especially while re-tackling,” points Baskaran. 

“Transitioning from defence to attack wasn’t up to the mark. The work rate of the forwards is not as good as it needs to be. Like what we saw in the last Olympics (Paris), the work rate - the level and quantity of running - was very high. Unless you have a high work rate, you will not be able to create the space and gaps for your midfield to deliver the ball to the forwards, you will not have the circumventing ability,” explains Somesh. 

Physical fatigue, negative effects of over experimentation, final quarter blunders, younger players not of world standards, experienced guard wearing out, a disconnect between defence, midfield and forward lines, individual flashes of brilliance but a structure lacking innovation and finesse making them predictable...

In spite of all of the above issues, Baskaran and Somesh – similar to every Indian hockey hopeful – refuse to stop believing and trust that there is the light at the end of the tunnel. 

“By the next leg of Pro League mid this year (in England and Netherlands), things should settle down. I understand it isn’t easy. The good thing is there are about 8-9 players who look solid individually. Some good rest and better planning to get the best out of them to play as a unit should put us in a better place by the time the World Cup and Asian Games come by,” sums-up Baskaran. 

“Being an Indian fan, the expectation is always high. Every time, any match, major, minor, we expect them to win. Now, let us be fair to Fulton. The challenge of peaking in two back-to-back tournaments is very big,” cautions Somesh. 

To be a follower of the Indian hockey team is not for the faint-hearted. It never has been. Staring at the country's stick-wielding men and their supporters, in the season ahead, are demanding tournaments where every ounce of their fitness, character and knowledge will be tested to the limit. 

So for those still in it, fasten your seat belts and brace yourselves for what is sure to be a bumpy ride. Because, despite several malfunctioning organs, the heart keeps beating.

India at Pro League Leg-1

Match 1: Lost 1-3 vs Belgium

Match 2: Lost 0-8 vs Argentina

Match 3: Lost 2-4 vs Belgium

Match 4: Lost 2-4 vs Argentina

Match 5: Lost 0-2 vs Spain 

Match 6: Drew 2-2 vs Australia (lost shootout 4-5)

Match 7: Drew 1-1 vs Spain (lost shootout 3-4)

Match 8: Drew 1-1 vs Australia (won shootout 3-1)

Indian Hockey men. 

Indian Hockey men 

India at Pro League Leg-1 Match 1: Lost 1-3 vs Belgium Match 2: Lost 0-8 vs Argentina Match 3: Lost 2-4 vs Belgium Match 4: Lost 2-4 vs Argentina Match 5: Lost 0-2 vs Spain Match 6: Drew 2-2 vs Australia (lost shootout 4-5) Match 7: Drew 1-1 vs Spain (lost shootout 3-4) Match 8: Drew 1-1 vs Australia (won shootout 3-1)