NEW DELHI: On Saturday, men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh admitted India would have to focus on conceding fewer goals from the touchline and creating more scoring opportunities in the scoring circle. This is if they are ready for the upcoming challenges, including the Asian Games.
India returned home from their recent European outing with mixed results in the FIH Pro League. The team won four of the eight matches it played over two weeks.
India lost 1-2 and won 5-1 against Belgium, while they lost 2-4 and won 4-4 (4-2) in the shootout against Great Britain. In the double-header against Argentina, India won 3-0 and 2-1, while the team fell 1-4 and 2-3 to the Netherlands.
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“There were several takeaways from Europe matches. We conceded goals from the touchline and that needs to be fixed. There is also work to be done on converting the chances we create in the ‘D’
“While playing top European teams is always an excellent learning experience, we will now focus on bringing our finest game to the fore against top Asian sides in the Asian Champions Trophy and Asian Games,” said the captain.
India finished their campaign as provisional table toppers with 30 points from 16 Pro League matches.
This was also the team’s first outing under new chief coach Craig Fulton, who replaced Australian tactician Graham Reid.
“Craig brings a lot of positivity into the team and he is very clear in his thoughts and expectations of how we must play as a team.
“In these matches (in Europe), the focus was more on executing a disciplined structure in our game, with an emphasis on defending well,” added Harmanpreet.
The Indian team is currently on a break and will start preparing for the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) once the training camp resumes.
The ACT will be held in Chennai from August 3 to 12. The Asian Games are scheduled for Hangzhou, China in September-October.
Speaking about the Pro League outing in London and in the Netherlands, Harmanpreet said, “Overall, I think it was a successful outing. Playing away games against top sides is always challenging and I think we lived up to the billing.”
