New Delhi: The Indian men’s hockey team kickstarted its campaign to defend its Asian Champions Trophy title in Hulunbuir with a 3-0 win over China Sunday. It then went on to dismantle Japan with a 5-1 score line Monday. Coach Craig Fulton is riding high on the momentum of a historic bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.
The Indian team’s second successive podium finish at the Olympics—Tokyo and then Paris—a first in over half a century, marked a milestone in Fulton’s tenure since taking charge in April 2023.
With the Asian Champions Trophy underway, Fulton’s focus has shifted from celebration to conquest.
In an exclusive conversation with The Print ahead of the tournament, the coach spoke about his journey with the team, the Olympics and his vision for Indian hockey.
“I’ve known the team from afar for quite a while… I’ve known a lot of the guys,” said Fulton, who previously coached Belgium against India.
However, when he was confronted with a sprawling squad of 40 players upon arrival, learning everyone’s names and understanding the team’s intricacies took time, he acknowledged.
But Fulton’s relationship with the team blossomed soon after. “Over a year later, I’ve got to know everyone really, really well. The trust is high, and the camaraderie and connection in the group… It’s really strong.”
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Preparing for Olympics
Fulton agreed that India has played some of its best hockey in the last few years. “Some of the best hockey, I think some of the most consistent… We didn’t really start firing until maybe Belgium, Australia (in Paris).” He highlighted the team’s balanced performance throughout the 2024 Olympics.
Noting that India’s strategy paid off, Fulton explained, “The first three games were really important because if we had got seven out of nine points, we would have already made the quarterfinal.” Despite a setback against Belgium, the team regrouped and delivered an impressive performance against Australia.
“We gave Belgium a bit too much respect…lost that game, but still played well. Then we sorted that out and went head-on into the Australia game and played some of our best hockey in that quarter,” he said.
Revealing the intricacies of planning for a four-year Olympic cycle, which is considered a daunting task in team sports like hockey, Fulton said, “Experience is pivotal.”
He highlighted that it is important to consider factors beyond age when selecting players for the Olympics due to the squad size constraint. In Olympic hockey, each team has a squad of 16 players, but only 15 are available for selection during a match, as one player must be designated as a reserve goalkeeper. If the starting goalkeeper is injured, the reserve goalkeeper can replace him, but no other substitutions can be made. In contrast, other tournaments allow 18-player squads.
According to him, the freshness of the player matters and experience overpowers age.
“You need to keep that in mind and build that up because you’re playing with 15 players, not 16 field players because you lose a player in the Olympics, whereas in all the other tournaments, you play with 18. So, I suppose you’ve got to know what you have now and if players are ageing, it doesn’t matter,” he elucidated. “Age is just a number. You can still compete at a very high level being a very experienced player.”
Fulton cited the examples of hockey powerhouses—Belgium, Australia, The Netherlands, and Germany—where senior players continue to excel. “It all depends on the freshness of the player, and whether they’re still adding value and still want to compete.”
About the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Fulton is confident. “We’ve got a competition now, the World Cup, and then LA. So, we’ve got time.”
Fulton stressed the significance of these competitions in the lead-up to the Olympics. “They’re all important. They all count, but they’re not as important as the tournament.” For him, these events are opportunities for players to gain experience and test themselves against diverse opponents.
About the secrets behind the Indian team’s cohesive performance, Fulton emphasised, “Lots of training. Lots of education. Lots of lessons!”
He said that the progress may not always reflect immediately. “You don’t always get the results during the big tournaments because you’re busy learning about where you are as a team and where you’ve got to improve,” he told ThePrint.
‘Defence as the foundation of attack’
In the 15 months since he began coaching India, Fulton has stuck by one mantra: Defend to counter-attack to win, an approach that prioritises defence as the foundation of attack.
“When you have that as your philosophy, you have to be able to defend because as soon as you defend, it’s the first form of attack,” he said, adding that regaining possession allows the team to swiftly transition into attack, leveraging the natural skills of Indian players.
Not all teams prioritise defence, but according to Fulton, this strategy yields impressive results.
Referring to situations where the team is playing in a low block, Fulton said, “Defence is how much you care about your teammates and how much you care about your team. So, if you make a mistake, your teammates will cover you. You can’t just give up. Otherwise, you’re giving up on your team.”
In the face of adversity during a match, it is important for each player to share the workload, he said. “If you’re a man down, you’ve got to do more than what you’ve been doing. Otherwise, you will lose.”
India’s ability to overcome such challenges was exemplified in their 1-1 draw and the subsequent shootout win against Great Britain in the quarter-finals of the Paris Olympics. “It’s nice to know that when we did it, we were able to get to 1-1 and then win the shootout,” Fulton added.
Fulton also reflected on India’s monumental victory over Australia at the Olympics, ending a 52-year long wait. Asked if anything special was done to achieve this feat, Fulton emphasised the importance of extensive preparation: “It’s everything. It’s games. It’s watching. It’s learning lessons. It’s training. It’s going back and doing it again and then doing it in a big tournament.”
He said that India lost five games to Australia in Perth in April, but the exposure ultimately paid off.
“We won the game that counts in the Olympics,” Fulton noted. “And we won it comfortably, in the sense that we were comfortable doing what we knew we had to do.”
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Sreejesh’s exit
Fulton also addressed the challenge of having to replace iconic goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh, who played an instrumental role in India’s bronze medal wins at both Tokyo and Paris and announced his retirement soon after the 2024 Olympics.
Stressing on the need to look forward, he said, “It was an amazing time for Sree, but we’ve got to move into the future now.”
Krishan Pathak is poised to fill the void, having already gained valuable experience. “Pathak’s played almost 100 games with Sree on the bench and coming off and sharing,” Fulton noted.
Suraj Karkera, Pawan Malik, and Mohith H.S. forming the next line of contenders for the goalkeeping spot. “Suraj, Pawan and Mohith, the goalkeepers behind that, form the next line of competition, which is healthy,” Fulton remarked.
The India-Pakistan rivalry
On the highly anticipated India-Pakistan clash at the Asian Champions Trophy later this month, he said, “I’ve already played Pakistan three times. We’ve won all of the games and played really, really well. We won the last game 10-2.”
Acknowledging the special nature of the rivalry, Fulton argued that India’s focus extends beyond just one opponent. “It’s not necessarily just a rivalry,” he said. “We’ve got a big job to do against every team in the tournament.”
“Pakistan games are special, whether they’re played in India or outside of India. It’s another game that we need to win, and yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
Coach Fulton also revealed his short-term and long-term objectives for Indian hockey. “For us, it’s just the key to create consistency,” he said.
“We’re looking to create an Indian A team between the Under-21s and the senior team,” he noted. This initiative, he said, will provide a platform for outgoing Under-21 players to continue developing and gain valuable experience. According to him, the creation of the A team will allow smooth transitioning for young players into the main squad.
“When senior players leave, more players that have been playing, are more experienced, will come into the system, ready to play. They won’t take a year to get going,” he said.
Fulton’s long-term vision is clear: establishing a sustainable and competitive team.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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