"Sukhjeet Singh and I were part of the blind press" - Abhishek reveals Olympic gameplan while carrying form into Asian Champions Trophy [Exclusive]
Abhishek, who was the livewire for the Indians during their bronze-medal-winning campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympics, continues to be at the forefront for his side at the ongoing Asian Champions Trophy in China.
Continuing from where he left off just over a month ago, the gifted forward stunned the Japanese with a splendid goal from open play just after fellow striker Sukhjeet Singh gave India the lead. India beat Japan 5-1 on Monday, September 9.
During an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda, Abhishek shed light on the strategy that resulted in him creating chances, manufacturing penalty corners, and scoring early goals to dent the opposition's defense in the opening minutes.
While acknowledging that he possesses the inherent talent that allows him to effortlessly penetrate the striking circle repeatedly, Abhishek stressed that hard work played a huge part in his success.
"Sukhjeet Singh and I were part of the blind press as per the strategy and that is how I managed to create early chances," said Abhishek, who won the Hockey India Dhanraj Pillay award for Forward of the Year in 2023.
"I do have the talent that allows me to penetrate the striking circle but behind all that is a whole lot of hard work as well. Coach (Craig Fulton) conducts special sessions for the strikers with regard to our finishing, creating chances and connections as well," he added. "The training sessions yielded positive results for us during the Olympic Games."
Refusing to take credit for his contribution to the side, Abhishek, who scored vital goals for India against Belgium and Australia in Paris, lauded coach Craig Fulton's training sessions.
From creating a penalty corner opportunity for his team in the second minute of the game against Ireland to taking a shot on target in the second minute against Great Britain in the quarterfinals, Abhishek thrived on the early forays.
The 25-year-old also struck the crossbar when the Indians took on Argentina in an Olympic pool game. However, he is far from satisfied with his performance in Paris and asserted that he is keen to learn from his mistakes.
"The chances that I created were a result of the effort of the entire team based on strategies as to where to attack from and how. So, I will give credit to the sessions conducted by our coach," the Haryana-born said.
"I feel I could have done a lot better than I did in terms of shots on goal and penalty corner creations as well. I feel the team did very well in terms of the overall performance. I hope I can learn from the mistakes I committed during the Olympics and come up with an even better show," Abhishek added.
"Opening goal allowed us to take control of the match" - Abhishek recalls historic Olympic win against mighty Australia
Abhishek was delighted at how the Indians got the better of Australia in the pool stages of the Olympic Games and underlined the importance of the 12th-minute opening goal against the Kookaburras.
A minute after the Indians had taken the lead against Colin Batch's team, captain Harmanpreet Singh doubled the tally for his side before scoring India's third goal just after half-time.
The Indians thus beat Australia 3-2 in their last and final pool game, ending a 52-year Olympic jinx.
"The opening goal against Australia allowed us to take control of the match. At no point in the contest were we under pressure against the Australians and it was a fluent win for us. It was also the kind of result that gave us immense confidence ahead of the knock-outs," Abhishek said in the same interview.
Abhishek believes India went down to Germany in the semifinals of Paris 2024 because of missed early chances in the opening quarter.
"We created several early chances in the semifinal against Germany as well but were unable to score in the opening quarter. Had we managed to convert the chances into goals in the first quarter, the result of the game could have been different," he opined.
Following a narrow 2-3 loss to Germany, Craig Fulton's team beat Spain 2-1 to clinch a second successive Olympic bronze medal.
The Indian men's hockey team is currently at the top of the points table at the Asian Champions Trophy. They will next face Malaysia, South Korea, and Pakistan. Viewers in India can catch all the action on the Sony Sports Network.