Lacking bite: While Harmanpreet’s, left, form makes India a lethal PC outfit, the three goals from field play rank it ninth in the 16-team tournament.
| Photo Credit: AP
India head coach Craig Fulton has called for his men to refocus ahead of what he calls a ‘new tournament’ in the second round of the men’s World Cup, starting against Netherlands on Saturday.
India’s mixed start in the Pool stage led to a second place finish behind England, which has left it needing two wins to give itself a good chance of qualifying for the semifinals.
“We’re a little bit behind the eight ball because we didn’t take the three points through. But at this level as well, any team can beat any team,” Fulton told The Hindu.
“That doesn’t mean we’re out. We have to take care of our two games. We’ll just go one game at a time and let’s see what happens.”
A deficient defensive structure and unforced errors leaving it open to transitions have proved costly. India has let in eight goals, which is the worst defensive record among the top eight teams left in the tournament.
Fulton emphasised on getting the pressing right and its counterattacks with upcoming matches against two of the dangerous sides, Netherlands and Argentina.
India’s recent meetings against these sides yielded just one 3-2 win over the Dutch, while losing the other three with an aggregate scoreline of 4-15.
“It’s a game [vs Pakistan] that is steeped in history, where we need to take more structure into that game, and it got away from us a little bit.
“But at the same time, we played well offensively and then let them back in the game…Now, we have a totally different opposition, that if we give them too many opportunities, yes, they will punish you.
“We’re playing well going forward, and we need to keep improving on the defence and keeping the confidence in going forward. So the press, the counter, is where we need to just keep hammering,” said the South African.
While Harmanpreet Singh’s form makes India a lethal Penalty Corner outfit, the three goals from field play rank it ninth in the 16-team tournament.
On India’s lack of field goals, Fulton said, “It’s a [matter of] small composure. They play a certain way, and one team plays man-to-man, one team plays zonal, which puts seven players, eight players in the D.
“That’s a different approach to playing if there were three in the D. We’ve got different plans for both teams, but at the same time, we’ve got to implement our plan.”
Published – August 21, 2026 06:40 pm IST
