"He brings in a lot of experience working in India" - Indian Hockey Team coach Craig Fulton opens up on Paddy Upton's appointment
Indian hockey chief coach Craig Fulton, during the press conference ahead of the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai, opened up about what Paddy Upton brings to the team.
Hockey India had recently appointed Paddy Upton to work with the players ahead of the Asian Games 2023. He was roped in after the coaching staff called in for the need to improve the mental toughness of the team ahead of the major tournaments.
Upton joined the Indian hockey team on July 1st, and he was a part of the training camp in Bengaluru. Indian players had sessions with the mental conditioning coach ahead of their tour to Spain, and Upton will continue to work with the team for the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy and Asian Games 2023 as well.
Fulton opened up about Upton's appointment, saying that he brings in a lot of experience working in India.
"The main reason to get Paddy [Upton] on board is that he brings in a lot of experience working in India and obviously for the success he has had with the Indian cricket team", he said.
Paddy Upton played a major role in the Indian cricket team's 2011 World Cup victory. He joined the Indian team in 2008 and worked until 2011. Upton has also worked with the South African cricket team and several IPL and ISL franchises.
Talking about Upton's impact on the team, the Indian chief coach pointed out how Upton brings in the leadership skill which the team is trying to instill.
"He knows the culture, the diversity and the performance of the Indian team. At the same time, he brings the leadership we are looking to instil and help deal with expectations and big moments, which we will be having a lot going forward", he concluded.
India's comeback in the Spain International tournament
Earlier in July, Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh mentioned that Paddy Upton has stressed how one cannot always play great and that losing does not mean the team is bad. He also mentioned how a team must bounce back to work on maintaining consistency. India did exactly the same in the Spanish Hockey Federation International tournament.
In the recent tour to Spain, India managed to bounce back after a huge loss against Spain to end in third place. India had a forgettable start to the tournament as they lost 1-2 against hosts Spain.
The team managed to comeback by picking up a couple of draws followed by an impressive victory over the current FIH Pro League champions Netherlands in the 3rd/4th place playoffs.