Paris: Placed in a ‘pool of death’, the India men’s hockey team will have to punch above its weight to better the colour of the bronze medal from the previous edition when it open its Paris Olympics campaign against New Zealand on Saturday.
The expectations are high from the Indians after they managed to break a 41-year-old medal jinx at the Tokyo Olympics by bagging a historic bronze.
It was a landmark moment for a rich hockey nation like India, who have a record eight Olympic gold medals to boast of.
And the bronze has only raised expectations of second consecutive podium finish, but it would be easier said than done.
The Indians are clubbed along side reigning champions Belgium, mighty Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Ireland in a tough Pool B, while Pool A consists of Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, South Africa and hosts France.
Four teams from each pool will progress to the quarterfinals.
The first three pool matches of India against New Zealand, Argentina (on July 29) and Ireland (July 30) are very crucial as they would look for maximum points from these games before taking on Belgium (August 1) and Australia (August 2).
The competition also provides the Harmanpreet Singh-led Indian side the perfect opportunity to give a fitting farewell to the ‘Wall of Indian hockey’, long-serving goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who will quit the sport after the ongoing Games.
The 16-member Indian team has 11 Olympic medallists, while Jarmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Abhishek, Rajkumar Pal and Sanjay will be making their Games debuts.
Sreejesh and Manpreet Singh, both of whom will be participating in their fourth Olympics, have been the team’s pillars for one-and-a-half-decade.
The ongoing Games is expected to be Manpreet’s last as well as the Indian team starts its rebuilding phase.
While of late India have gradually dropped from third to the seventh spot in the world, rankings are never never a fair measurement in modern day hockey.
A prime example being the 2023 World Cup, jointly hosted by Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, where India lost to the Black Sticks, currently ranked 10th, in the shoot-out in a crossover match to finish outside top-eight.
India’s chief coach Craig Fulton very well understands the significance of the first three games and is focussed on taking one match at a time.
“It is the best pool we can get. In Olympics no match is easy. We are looking at the first games to set the tempo before we take on Belgium and Australia. We are taking one match at a time,” Fulton told PTI.
Playing the last international tournament of his career, Sreejesh is expected to leave no stone unturned in front of the goal to help his side finish on the podium, while the defence will be guarded by skipper Harmanpreet, Amit Rohidas, Sumit along side Jampanpreet and Sanjay.
Manpreet, vice-captain Hardik Singh and Vivek Sagar Prasad will be the midfield mainstay, while Lalit Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Abhishek and Sukhjeet will have to shoulder the goal scoring responsibility.
Harmanpreet, regarded as one of the world’s best dragflickers, will be India’s go to man from penalty corners, but he will also have the support of Rohidas and Sanjay.
Under Fulton, there has been a shift in strategy — from emphasising attack to also prioritising defence, while being flexible at the same time.
India secured direct ticket to Paris by winning the Asian Games gold in 2023, and has had decent results in the build-up to the Games.
In the Bhubaneswar and Rourkela legs of the FIH Pro League in February, India beat Spain twice, won and lost against the Netherlands once each, lost against Australia twice, and beat Ireland twice.
The Indians, however, were no match for their nemesis Australia in the Test series in Perth in April, where they lost all five matches but put up a close fights in some matches.
In the Pro League matches in Antwerp and London that followed, India beat Argentina twice, but suffered two losses apiece to Belgium, Germany and Great Britain with some of the matches witnessing close affairs.
India captain Harmanpreet understands the expectations from the countrymen.
“After very long, the Indian hockey team is travelling to the Olympics as reigning medallists. I know there are a lot of expectations from us back home, and we are ready to deliver on our promises.
“Our team has shown tremendous growth and resilience in recent years. As we gear up for Paris 2024, we’re focused on doing our best to change the colour of the medal, and represent India with pride,” he said before their opener.
