Seven games in Europe, seven defeats in Europe.
For a team that came into the European leg with an eye on the FIH Pro League title (and thus a guaranteed spot at the FIH Hockey World Cup next year), India’s campaign has been nothing short of a disaster. Seven defeats on the trot have raised question marks about the Olympic bronze-winners and they head into the final game of their Pro League campaign with little on the line but pride.
India’s results have seen them slip to eighth in the standings, but thankfully have been saved from relegation in the nine-team league by Ireland, who have four points from fifteen games, while India have fifteen points from the same. Craig Fulton’s side can draw level with England on eighteen points, but they have three more games to play and a superior goal difference to India.
The frustration for Indian fans will be that India have not played like an eighth-placed team – most of their defeats have been by a single goal, with the Indian defence collapsing at inopportune moments – like at the beginning of games / quarters or after scoring a goal or in the final moments of the contest.
That was the case against Belgium too when India conceded early on, and trailed by two before Dilpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh made it 2-2. The game remained tied till the 48th minute, after which a late flurry of goals saw Belgium come out on top as 6-3 winners.
India’s late-game collapses have taken their toll on their coach, who even inadvertently swore on the live television broadcast, with Fulton unable to find an answer to a very obvious problem. India’s displays have been the antithesis of Fulton’s control-first, ‘defend to win’ philosophy, as his side have reverted back to their chaotic roots under previous coach Graham Reid.
Even if their forthcoming game against Belgium has little on the line, India’s players will be aiming to avoid the humiliation of a complete sweep in Europe – and the pressure is firmly on them to deliver. Belgium meanwhile, cannot catch up with league-leaders Netherlands, but can still hope for a second-placed finish over Australia, who are the only challengers to Netherland’s crown.
India vs Belgium (7:00 PM) will be live-streamed on JioHotstar and broadcast on Star Sports Select.
You can also follow the match on our live blog below:
