"Craig Fulton is never short of new ideas" - Harmanpreet Singh lauds hockey coach following India's stellar run
The Indian men's hockey team, led by Harmanpreet Singh, is basking in the glory of two successive podium finishes at the Paris Olympics and the Asian Champions Trophy.
After creating history by winning a second successive Olympic bronze in Paris, Craig Fulton's chargers defended their Asian Champions Trophy title in style despite resting five members of the side that played at the Olympics.
Back in 2021, the Indians, who won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, lost the semifinals of the Asian Champions Trophy later that year. The near-flawless performance of the team at the 2024 edition of the tournament thus underscores the ruthless consistency of a side that is now eyeing more glory.
Harmanpreet Singh told Sportskeeda during the course of an exclusive conversation that the Indians are working to stay among the top three in world hockey while also crediting coach Craig Fulton for their stellar run.
"Craig Fulton is a coach who is never short of new ideas. It was the structure he taught us that paid off in the Olympic quarterfinals against Great Britain wherein the players were able to conserve energy as they did not have to run excessively," Harmanpreet explained.
The epic win against Great Britain continues to evoke a sense of awe within the hockey fraternity. Harmanpreet shed light on the mindset that the team adopted after Amit Rohidas was shown a red card a couple of minutes into the second quarter.
"It is not easy to control the game with a player less especially when the opponents employ a full press. After Amit Rohidas was shown the red card, we decided that even if we were unable to score we would not concede any goals. The passion to win on the day transcended all else," he revealed.
The Indians took the lead off a Harmanpreet Singh penalty corner in the 22nd minute despite being a man down. Great Britain did manage to equalize five minutes later but failed to find a winning goal despite repeated attempts before going down in the shootout.
"We were determined to win the match come what may despite the red card and the determination paid off in the end. Before the tournament, we had worked on what our structure should be if we had to contest a game with a player less," Harmanpreet Singh said.
The skipper stressed that finishing on the podium in back-to-back tournaments was no easy task while also declaring that the team now aimed to remain consistently in the top 3 of the FIH rankings.
"I feel, as a team, we have performed extremely well over the past year or so. In 2021, we lost the semifinals of the Asian Champions Trophy which was held in Bangladesh," he recalled.
"This time round we did well in back-to-back tournaments which is no mean task. A few of the younger players also travelled with us to play the Asian Champions Trophy and they performed extremely well in the tournament. We are working towards staying among the top 3 teams in world hockey consistently," the ace defender stated.
The Indian men are currently ranked fifth as per the FIH behind the Netherlands, Germany, England, and Belgium.
"Credit for goals scored at the death goes to the team, not solely to the goalscorer" - Harmanpreet Singh on 59th-minute strikes in Paris
A couple of goals scored by Harmanpreet Singh at the death, one each against New Zealand and Argentina in the pool stages in Paris, helped the Indians pick up three vital points.
A penalty corner for the Indians led to a penalty stroke which Harmanpreet Singh converted in the 59th minute against New Zealand, enabling India to come away with a 3-2 win.
Scoring off a penalty corner with a minute left on the clock against Argentina helped India split points with the Rio 2016 champions following a 1-1 draw. The stocky defender refused to take credit for the incredible effort, lauding his team instead.
"It's true we scored twice in the 59th minute. But the credit for the goals at the death goes to the team and not solely to the goalscorer," was the ever-humble Harmanpreet's candid take.
Scoring off penalty corners was tough for most teams in Paris. Ace drag-flicker Alexander Hendrickx of Belgium managed to score just five goals in the tournament while Blake Govers of Australia ended up with a total of seven.
Even as Australia and Belgium were knocked out in the quarterfinals, Harmanpreet Singh went on to finish as the highest scorer in Paris. The 28-year-old shed light on how he overcame the challenge of getting past the best PC defenses in the world.
"The penalty corner defence of most teams is improving steadily and as such it is getting increasingly difficult to convert the set pieces. Teams are now using two rushers instead of one to bolster the penalty corner defence with the goalkeeper covering the right side," Harmanpreet Singh elucidated.
"All the teams were struggling with their penalty corners at the Olympics. We had practised our routines extensively before the tournament with a range of variations which helped us a lot in Paris," said Harmanpreet Singh, who found the back of the net 10 times with PCs and penalty strokes.
So how does the world's best drag-flicker keep improving all the time?
"I know that things are going to get even more difficult with time. The difficulty levels are going to be even higher in future tournaments as compared to what they were in the past. That is something that pushes me - the challenge to keep going well despite the obstacles," the stalwart from Amritsar disclosed.
Those are inspiring words from a talismanic captain who has in conjunction with his team ushered in the glory days for Indian hockey.