NEW DELHI: Despite the Indian teams’ mixed performances at the recently concluded World Cups, with the men finishing eighth and the women placing a commendable fifth, the men’s side will enter the Asian Games as the overwhelming favourite for the gold.
Craig Fulton’s India has been the undisputed king of the continent for the last four years. Since 2023, the men have won every continental competition they have contested, including two Asian Champions Trophy titles, the Asia Cup and the Asian Games, without losing a single game.
However, a second successive gold medal, a feat no team has achieved since 2006, will be anything but straightforward. India’s challenge will begin in Kakamigahara in less than a week’s time, with the team still reeling from its disastrous World Cup campaign. The Asian Games will now serve as a make-or-break competition for Fulton and several senior players in this side.
Defenders Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Jugraj Singh, Yashdeep Siwach, Sanjay Rana and Harmanpreet Singh all had forgettable outings as India shipped 19 goals, the tournament’s fifth-worst defensive record. Even Pakistan scored three, aided by sloppy handling of possession.
Almost every department, from goalkeeping to the forward line, had a tournament to forget, with Harmanpreet’s dragflicks from Penalty Corners (PC) the notable exception. Despite a crocked back, his world-class finishing from short corners repeatedly dragged India into contests when it struggled to find goals from open play.
Harmanpreet’s heroics will need to be backed up in field play by his attackers. Since the 2023 Asian Games, only Abhishek Nain has remained a threat, notching up 30 goals in 86 appearances, while senior forward Manpreet Singh’s returns have dwindled to just 11 goals in 69.
Fulton lamented his side’s struggles to maintain its standards across all four quarters, but will breathe a little easier knowing the continent’s contenders might not have the sustained quality to punish its lapses. With an LA 2028 Olympic berth up for grabs, Fulton has opted for more experience in the squad, with Aditya Lalage making way for Raj Kumar Pal, who was part of the travelling group at the World Cup.
Early tests against host nation Japan and South Korea in the group phase will help assess if India has learnt from its misadventures in the World Cup, before likely coming up against Pakistan or Malaysia in the knockout stages. Agencies
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