New Delhi, 17 September (H.S.): After finishing eighth at the FIH Hockey World Cup, the Indian men’s hockey team have shifted their focus to defending their gold medal at the Asian Games in Japan, drawing on the lessons learned from the World Cup. The Asian Games title is also crucial for India as it would secure direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Led by captain Harmanpreet Singh, the Indian team have already arrived in Japan and are preparing for their opening match against Indonesia on Sunday. Head coach Craig Fulton spoke at length about the team’s preparations, its return to action after the World Cup, the bonding camp held at Mount Fuji and the strategy for the Asian Games. Despite the limited time between the World Cup and the Asian Games, Fulton said the team were excited to return to the field. He described the bonding camp at Mount Fuji as a challenging but highly instructive experience.

Speaking to Hockey India, he said, “We did not have much time between the World Cup and the Asian Games, but we are genuinely very excited to get going again. I think it started with a difficult but very, very valuable learning experience. When you travel to a different part of the world, somewhere we had never all been together before, and experience a place like Mount Fuji, it helps the players focus on the team rather than merely on individual goals. That is what we are trying to improve and strengthen.”

Asked about regrouping after the World Cup, Fulton said, “Look, the most important thing is that having the opportunity to do what we do is a great privilege, and we should be grateful for it. From what happened at the World Cup, we have identified the areas that require greater attention in this tournament. We can immediately focus on those improvements and implement them as a team. Raj Kumar Pal comes into the squad, Aditya Arjun Lalage moves out, and now we are set to begin a new tournament on Sunday.”

Reflecting on India’s eighth-place finish at the World Cup, Fulton said the team must turn that experience into learning and apply it on the field. He said, “These are all lessons for us, and the only way to truly turn them into lessons learned is to convert that learning into action. That is what we have to do now. We have discussed everything, looked at every aspect and identified the areas that need improvement. At the same time, now is the time to put those discussions into action after training, because we will take the field for our first match on Sunday.”

On maintaining the team’s rhythm and intensity despite the possibility of relatively one-sided matches in the pool stage of the Asian Games, Fulton said, “We will have complete respect for every team we play against. The only way to truly respect an opponent is to give them 100 per cent. We have done that in all tournaments and will continue to do so. So that is certainly what you can expect from us.”

Asked about the differences between the previous Asian Games and this edition, Fulton said, “I think it is very different. It is still the Asian Games, but the context is completely different because before the previous Asian Games, we played the Asian Champions Trophy in India. So, before going into the Asian Games, we had already played against all the Asian teams. This time, we have played the World Cup before the Asian Games.”

He added, “But that does not really change anything. We take it one match at a time and our entire focus is on ourselves. We are not really worrying about anyone else. We want to finish at the top of our pool, and that is our first objective.”

The Indian team have an opportunity to create history by winning the Asian Games gold medal for the second consecutive time. A title triumph would also earn the team direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar