It's a refrain that Harmanpreet Singh says is often uttered during the hours of training at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru, when something goes wrong during practice – a constant reminder of the task that awaits them in Paris, as they sweat it out away from the spotlight and in the confines of the training camp.
“There are voices reminding us that we must not make such mistakes in the Olympics,” said Harmanpreet Singh. “It motivates us every day. We tell ourselves that the Olympics is not easy, that we don't even get that many chances during the games. Even if we have a 50% chance, it's up to us how to turn it into 100% and everyone knows that.”
There is always a lot of pressure on the Indian hockey team but after the team and their legion of fans tasted success in Tokyo by winning a much-needed medal, they will now be motivated to replicate it or even surpass it. And for that, Harmanpreet and the team will have to go all out on Saturday as there is no room for composure in their preparations for the Olympics.
Firstly, ahead of them in Pool B is New Zealand, the team that ironically ended the Indian team's campaign in the last world tournament. The 2023 World Cup was meant to be India's chance to shine on home soil, but they were stunned by New Zealand at the crossover stage. It's been tough for the entire team, but especially for Harmanpreet Singh, who is leading the team for the first time in a major tournament and missing his main weapon – his drag flick. And he and his teammates will be looking to make sure there are no issues against New Zealand.
“I think this is the first time in my life that I've ever been in a position like this. I've never seen anything like this before,” Harmanpreet recalled. “I think I did everything I could on the field, with or without the ball. But PC definitely put us in a bind. It's important to come back from there. Confidence and technique are important, so I focused on that. My team helped me a lot in that regard. There might have been doubts from the outside, but the players who are always with me never made any negative comments and supported me.”
The loss to New Zealand effectively ended Graham Reid's reign and Craig Fulton took over as head coach. Since taking over as head coach, Fulton has tried to change India's psyche without making many changes to personnel. The “Bollywood hockey” that Reid once referred to has been replaced by a more pragmatic gameplay. Focus on structure. Defend to win. Get the connections right. Play with the odds.
“We want to get through the first phase well, be as confident and aggressive as possible and take the lead from the first game. That's the number one priority. Of course, it's tournament play so things go up and down and upsets can happen. In the European professional leagues, we had good chances in every game but we started poorly and conceded goals within the first five minutes in four of our eight games. Then our own poor decisions led to us losing close games by one point,” Fulton pointed out.
While there is no point in reading too much into the Pro League results, the tournament has given Fulton plenty to improve on. He admits that it is better to improve than to find fault in Paris. The team has achieved the initial goal Fulton set when he took over – to become the best in Asia – but they have struggled against teams like Australia and Belgium. These two powerhouses are in India's pool and will await them at the end of the group stage. Hence, going into these matches with a chance at a quarter-final spot is unacceptable for India.
So getting off to a good start is crucial. As Fulton says, “Yes, that's what it's all about.”
India's group stage schedule:
July 27, India vs New Zealand, 9 pm Indian Standard Time
July 29, IND vs ARG, 4:15 PM IST
July 30, IND vs IRE, 4:45 PM IST
1st August, IND vs BEL, 1:30 PM IST
2nd August, IND vs AUS, 4:45 PM IST
