Hockey: Seven Defeats in a Row

In contrast with Indian cricketers putting up a sterling fight back and snatching a draw from the jaws of predictable England victory in the fourth Test and 19-year-old chess wizard Divya Deshmukh scripting history by winning the Chess World Cup, Indian Men’s hockey performance in the European leg of the Federation of International Pro League encounters recently was dismal. 

The team hit the nadir when they slumped to no. 8 in the world ranking —a drop of four notches. Two times Olympics bronze medallists– 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2024 Paris Olympics-- were placed at the lowest rung among the 9 teams in the two-months long Pro Hockey League matches--- a clear indication of the massive slide. The Men in Blue suffered seven straight defeats.  What is more shameful is the fact that defeats were against much ranked countries. With India set to host the Asia Cup next month at Rajgir, the slide could not have come at a worse time.

Hockey India Team for Europe Trip 2024-2025. Photo credit @HockeyIndia X account

Before their European sojourn, India was ranked no.3, winning 15 points at the Bhubaneswar Pro Hockey League engagements which were held from December to January in 2024-25. In fact, the Indian team had beaten the likes of England and Spain, two of the powerhouses of the hockey world. First Draft spoke to some of the former hockey stars and experts in an attempt to understand why the team surrendered so meekly and shamefully to teams ranked below it just a few months after commendable performance in the BhubaneswarPro Hockey League matches.

The retirement of ace goalkeeper Sreejesh has put immense pressure on the fragile Indian defence. Joaquim Carvalho, a two-time Olympian, felt that Sreejesh’s excellent saves were actually masking a lot of shortcomings which the Indian deep defence had.

“I have no doubt that Sreejesh ‘s amazing reflexes and uncanny anticipation helped make up for our fragile defence in a number of matches which we could have otherwise lost. He was there like a rock of Gibraltar to guard the Indian goal post. With his retirement post Paris Olympics, the Indian defence has come under a lot of pressure --- which they are unable to handle,” says Carvalho.

Current goalkeeper Krishan Pathak gave a very poor account of himself by leaking in many goals.  “Pathak has to improve a lot. So far, he has not been to slip in Sreejesh's shoes. He knows he has to improve fast, and this puts a lot of pressure on him,” feels Carvalho.  Another crucial factor is the predicament faced by chief coach Fulton. In fact, the South African, who had guided India to the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, is now faced with a dilemma over induction of more talented juniors into the senior team. 

With a couple of major international tournaments, including the Asia Cup and the Asian Games lined up, Fulton has to decide whether it is the right time to infuse some talented youngsters into the team.  After all, like in most sports, some senior players are beyond their best. “The biggest problem confronting Fulton is the timing regarding replacing seniors with juniors. To go in for major changes so soon after the bronze win in the last Olympics would be detrimental to the team.

Yet, there is no denying the fact that he will have to make changes to bring some stability in the team,” says Ajit Pal Singh, one of the survivors of the 1975 World Cup winning team. Ajit Pal also expressed his concerns over injuries to players. He feels that recurring injuries to players like Gurjant Singh and Harmanpreet Singh do not augur well.

“For me modern day hockey is all about fitness. Hockey today is the most demanding of all sports. No doubt, the fitness levels of the Indian players have increased tremendously over the years, but the frequent injuries to our top stars like Gurjant and Harmanpreet is hitting us hard. I think the solution to this is to have a rotation policy wherein we ensure that these seniors are not made to play all the tournaments. They have to be rested adequately and should be played only in the big tournaments. This way we can ensure their longevity, and also they will stay free from injuries,” he further says.

The Indian mid-field has also come a cropper in the recent matches in Europe. Normally the combine of Hardik Singh, Rajkumar Pal and Rajinder Singh are supposed to be the backbone of the team, but they played below their standards. “India might have won some of the matches they lost had our midfield been more dependable,” feels Carvalho. He says that for India to perform to their ‘standards’ it is imperative that the mid-field does well. Otherwise, the pressure falls on the defenders and it becomes very difficult not to concede goals,” he said.

The Indian hockey team will have to rediscover their winning ways sooner than later. The forthcoming Asia Cup to be held from August 27 will provide a clear indication to where the team is headed.