The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)

Fulton plays it safe

India select largely same squad that won gold at the Asian Games to qualify for Paris Olympics

THE OLYMPICS might not be a platform for a leap of faith but at some level, craig fulton was expected to make one or two bold choices for the paris games, especially in the forward-line and mid field. instead, when the chief coach revealed his squad on Wednesday after a two day selection trial–which was a mere formality–he named the tried and tested players in what can best be described as conservati­ve team selection.

The most contentiou­s choices are in the forwardlin­e. la litu pad hy a ya ndm andee psingh, who have served the team with distinctio­n for close to a decade, were integral to the team’ s return to the Olympic podium three years ago in Tokyo. but in the shortened olympic cycle, they haven’t always been at their peak. A lot of India’s field goals in the recent tour of Belgium and England were scored when Sukhjeet Singh,gurj ant sing hand ab his hek combined. Man deep and up ad hy ayweren’ t always in the thick of action.

Especially when the team is playing a low block–Fulton’ s India switch between differentt­ypes of press more than any previous sides – the range of Upadhyay and Mandeep’s skills seemed restricted. In such scenarios, for them to sprint forward and cover the rest of the field during counteratt­acks feels laborious.

A team source said that the duo’s fitness test scores have been on par with the rest of the squad and the management felt their experience of playing at the Olympics–and winning big matches at that level–would come in handy. with aka sh deep sing hal so not making the cut, the selector sand Fulton felt dropping one of Up ad hy a yo rM an deep to make space for a young forward – someone like Araijeet Singh Hundal – could affect the balance of the forward line.

”There was also a question of who if not them,” the team source said. Hundal’s name came up during the conversati­on. In the Pro League matches, the six-foot-plus striker added variety to india’ s attack and showed the ability to take first-time shots at goal. “But his performanc­es weren’t consistent enough and it was tough to include him based on a few decent performanc­es,” the source added.

It will be key for the forwards to continue the goal-scoring touch they displayed in the European tour especially since the on us of converting penalty corners will fall heavily on Harmanpree­t Singh, who will also captain the squad. Jugraj Singh has been the number 2 drag-flicker but his returns have been limited as often, he has dragged his flicks wide of the goal. prone to defensive mistakes as welll,ju gr aj has been relegated to the standbys list.

In his absence, Harmanpree­t will have the support of Amit Rohidas and Sanjay. The two defenders haven’t been regular options in penalty corner situations. But in training, they have been routinely taking flicks and it is expected that the team could also showcase some of the variations practised during the camps if Harmanpree­t’s direct drag-flicks do not result in a goal.

The trio will also be expected to take charge of India’s defence. Amit and Harmanpree­t will form the central pairing; Sanjay on the left along with Sumit and Jarmanpree­t Singh will be on the right flank. PR Sreejesh (selected for his fourth Olympics along with Manpreet Singh) will be the biggest source of relief.

The midfield remains stable. Vice-captain H ar di k sing hand man p re et sing ha re expected to do most of the running around, assisting the attackers while also shielding the defence (whether Manpreet drops back in defence for some games will be interestin­g to see). The source added that the thinking behind selecting the tried and tested players was to retain the experience­d core of the team while ‘upgrading the team that won the gold medal at the Asian Games’. From the Hangzhou squad, Krishan Pathak and Nilakanata Sharma go to the reserves. In defence, Tokyo Olympian Varun Kumar, accused of rape, is no longer in the core group. And that's where Raj Kumar Pal comes into the mid field. his ability to eliminate players with his dribbling skills compelled the management to include him. Pal’s selection, the team source said, was because of the creative element he brings.

One player who impressed some members of the team management with his flair was Mo ham med ra heel. in the limited chance she got the attacking midfielder came up with some eye-catching performanc­es. However, Ra heel wasn’ t included in the team for the paris Olympics, the source said, because he couldn’t ‘contribute defensivel­y as much as others’.

Fulton said the players he picked demonstrat­ed ‘exceptiona­l skill, dedication and resilience throughout our rigorous preparatio­n phase .’“our focus has been on building a cohesive team that can adapt to different playing styles and situations, and I believe we have achieved that,” Fulton said.

INDIAN MEN’ S HOCKEY TEAM FOR PARIS

Goalkeeper: PR Sreejesh.

Defenders: Jarmanpree­t Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpree­t Singh, Sumit, Sanjay. Midfielder­s: Rajkumar Pal, Shamsher Singh, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad.

Forwards: Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh.

Alternate Athletes: Nilakanta Sharma, Jugraj Singh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak (GK).