Once the land where stick skills were synonymous with hockey skills, India has been struggling to identify as one of the strong contenders in recent times.
Cricket over a period of time has managed to knock hockey off the headlines and India’s best performance in Champions Trophy hockey was barely noticed.
There was no doubt about the skills of the Indian players, they could weave magic with their sticks.
What they lacked was the physical fitness to keep pace with teams like Australia and Germany.
Consistently sticking to the game tactics and more importantly the mental strength to outlast their opponents were key problems.
This is where the current performance in the Champions Trophy stands out.
Strong marking
Marking was never India’s strength. Strikers were always their strengths and being heavy in this front left a lot of gaps in the midfield and plenty of room for opposition. During Champions Trophy very rarely they gave their opponents room to work with.
Such was their efficiency that even Australia, the only team that did not struggle in the group stage, found it tough to break the shackles. Coach Roelant Oltmans has really worked on the fitness of the players and this was evident when the players were able to keep up the tempo throughout the match.
This clearly shows that all the players are supremely fit.
Strong defence
Not that India did not have good individual defenders, but they had ones that had always struggled to back each other.
The improved fitness meant the players were quick to fall back on defence when required and they also had an understanding where the other player was, which meant effectively covering all the gaps.
Goalkeeper Sreejesh Ravindran was also excellent, but his job will be easier if he knows exactly where to expect the ball from and this means there had to be fewer gaps.
Like all other teams, India also had a strong defence against drag flicks. It looks like the teams have managed to crack the puzzle, and barring a few occasions, the first runners had narrowed down the angles, making it tougher for the flickers. No surprise that the PC conversion rate was very low in this year’s tournament.
Counter strike
This again comes back to the fitness, after falling back India were also quick in their counter attack. VS Sunil proved to be livewire throughout and got good support too. A lot of penetration was made possible due to strong and tightly knit midfield.
India had rested one of the best mid-fielders in the world, Sardara Singh, and still managed to come out in flying colours.
Conclusion
After Sultan Azlan Shah, India look to be on the right track. There a few flaws that have to ironed out like letting the guard down, not giving away free penalty corners and more importantly the striking ability inside the D.
With the return of Sardara and Rupinder Pal Singh, India will look to further strengthen its squad. As said earlier, while we know about their fitness levels it will be their ability to play as a team that will make the difference.
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