The Indian men’s hockey team has begun 2026 — a year of major stakes — on a worrying note. Four matches in the Rourkela leg of the FIH Pro League ended in four defeats, including a humiliating 8–0 loss to Argentina. With the Asian Games in Japan and the Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium just months away, the results have raised uncomfortable questions.

Are these early-season stumbles merely part of a longer preparation cycle, or do they point to serious issues in defence, goalkeeping, fitness and mentality? Should youngsters have been blooded in earlier? And how much pressure is mounting on coach Craig Fulton?

In this episode of In Focus, we examine what went wrong in Rourkela, the search for stability in goal after P.R. Sreejesh, and why the core group of players who have been in the team for years need to be pulled up for the poor run of form.

(Editor’s note: This episode was recorded ahead of the Hobart leg of the FIH Pro League games)

Host: Reuben Joe Joseph

Guest: Uthra Ganesan, The Hindu’s hockey correspondent

Producer: Jude Weston

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India’s disappointing opening home leg of the FIH Pro League has caused concern and top Hockey India officials admit the situation is far from ideal even as the team left for Hobart early morning on Monday for the next leg against Australia and Spain with a few changes.

Captain Harmanpreet Singh has pulled out due to personal reasons and Hardik Singh will lead the side that has a few changes with Pawan replaced by Mohith HS in goalkeeping and Sukhjeet Singh out with injury and several players included from the group that has already been training in Australia.

“There is a lot of talk around a few players being rested. But all of them, and a few others, were part of the Indian side all through last year and we still did not have any outstanding results. Consistency is an issue, especially among the senior players. A lot of them have not been consistent for a while now. Occasional flashes of brilliance cannot replace sustained performance. We need to look at it and the players should also understand it,” HI president Dilip Tirkey was blunt in his assessment.

Also Read | Pro League: India ends home leg with another loss

Officials also confirmed that a reset might be required in terms of the working style of the team management. “Nothing against being friendly with players but coaches need to understand that the Indian culture is different; a minimum distance between coach and players is essential to stay objective. Fitness is anther issue we need to look at,” HI sources agreed.

Squad for Hobart: Goalkeepers: Suraj Karkera, Mohith HS; Defenders: Amit Rohidas, Jarmanpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit, Amandeep Lakra, Yashdeep Siwach, PC Boby; midfielders: Rajinder Singh, Manmeet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Hardik Singh, Rabichandra Singh, Vishnu Kant Singh, Raj Kumar Pal; forwards: Abhishek, Shilanand Lakra, Mandeep Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Aditya Arjun Lalage, Angad Bir Singh, Maninder Singh.

(EOM)