Rank loss in London: The defence couldn’t hold

Chandigarh, June 30
Roelant Oltmans apparently got a bit agitated during the press conference after India’s shocking loss to Canada in the Hockey World League Semifinal in London.
The 63-year-old has a sardonic wit, but he is not known for losing his temper, especially on the sidelines during matches. However, he was left fuming during India’s defeat to Malaysia, even hurling a jersey towards the team dugout.
It is easy to understand the Dutchman’s frustration. Being a fan of the inconsistent and unpredictable Indian men’s hockey team is exciting, but also frustrating.
Oltmans would be disappointed with India’s 6th-place finish at the first major tournament in the new Olympics cycle; the fans surely are, having expected better from world No. 6 India, who were the third-highest ranked side at the event.
However, there had been no indications in the run-up to the tournament that should have raised expectations. India struggled at the Azlan Shah Cup and were unimpressive in the three-nation tournament in Germany.
It was only the team’s big wins in the first three matches that ignited hopes for a medal. The big margins, in wins over lower-ranked teams, only concealed the cracks that had been there in the run-up to the event. When the intensity increased, the cracks widened and India fell short.
After the defeat to Canada, Oltmans said that sometimes defeats helped identify the problems better.
Defence: Lack of experience
India’s defence has always been their weakest characteristic. But after years of hard work, starting from the time of Australian Terry Walsh, a level of discipline was instilled in the team. That regimen involved a certain set of players working together towards a single goal. Working together is the key in any team sport, but it was more so in this case because individually, most of these players were not the strongest defenders.
In London, India missed three prominent members of that group — VR Raghunath, Birendra Lakra and Rupinderpal Singh.
The absence of PR Sreejesh through injury compounded India’s troubles. He was missed not only as a goalkeeper but as someone who could marshal the defence. The young defence badly needed a leader. There was too much of chaotic running — in the Malaysia match, especially, two-three defenders tried to tackle a rival forward without much benefit. There was a lack of understanding, both at the back and in the midfield. It led to lapses in zonal defence — one of Canada’s goals resulted from a 70-yard pass to an unmarked forward in the Indian third.
Technically, the youngsters show big potential, but it will take time and work for India’s defence to become a solid unit.
Midfield: Unsettled
Over the last couple of years, Oltmans has constantly experimented with new combinations in the midfield, be it trying different players or changing the playing positions and roles of the regulars. More emphasis has been on finding the right combination in the centre — with Sardar Singh coming to the fag end of his career, there is a need for playmakers. Last year, even striker Akashdeep Singh was used in a playmaking role at a tournament.
Sardar’s role, over the last year, has been the most unsettled. And with the new Olympics cycle starting, there is a conscious effort to bring in the new generation. Oltmans has already used a few of the players from the junior team. They, however, will need time to mature. Oltmans’ go-to man, his star ward in the Junior World Cup campaign, Harjeet Singh, is neither physically nor mentally ready to handle the intensity and speed of the senior level.
Strike-force: Improvement
Watching the Indian forwards make the same decision-making mistakes — missing chances galore — over the last few years gave rise to hopelessness. Profligate has become a commonly used term to describe the Indian strikers. Even Oltmans said that if you can’t stay cool in the scoring area, you don’t deserve to win. However, Oltmans chose to look at the positives as well.
Amidst all the disappointment and negativity, it would be unfair to overlook the positives. Despite the missed chances, the forwards’ performance was the most encouraging in many years. In the seven matches, India had 177 circle entries and 95 shots on target. They earned 25 penalty corners. Though they could only score 25 goals, the number of chances created was much better than in the past. Even against the Netherlands, India had 10 shots on goal.
There is a definite improvement in decision-making and positioning in and around the opponent circle. The next step is to convert more chances. Also, the forwards need to be more creative, which includes more dodges and interplay. There were glimpses of it, especially from Akashdeep. There will be improvement with time, as the forwards’ confidence grows and judgement improves.