KUALA LUMPUR – India’s national hockey head coach Craig Fulton cautions his charges to stay grounded, stating that the Men in Blue’s real battle in the ongoing Paris Olympics begins when they take on Belgium in their fourth pool fixture tomorrow.
The 49-year-old South African coach’s response came after his Indian side put one foot into the quarterfinals by defeating Ireland, who were making their third appearance in the multisport event, 2-0 in their third Pool B match at the Stade Yves-du-Manoir in Paris yesterday.
India, which won bronze in the 2020 edition in Tokyo, saw its goals come courtesy of a brace from skipper Harmanpreet Singh (11th and 19th minutes).
Harmanpreet, who has made 222 appearances and scored 259 goals for his country, currently leads the tournament’s goal tally with a total of four goals in three pool matches against New Zealand, Argentina, and Ireland.
Speaking to Scoop from Paris, Fulton, who was the former assistant head coach for Belgium from when they won their maiden Olympic gold in Tokyo, said that facing the Red Lions will be a reality check for his team, to see whether they can maintain their momentum against a dominant side.
Belgium, currently ranked number four in the world, is in scintillating form at the Paris Olympics, scoring a total of 10 goals in three matches.
The European nation thrashed Australia 6-2 yesterday in their third pool match and currently tops Pool B with nine points, while India sits in the second spot with seven points.
Australia is ranked third with six points, Argentina fourth with four points, while New Zealand and Ireland are ranked fifth and sixth with zero points each.
The top four teams qualify for the quarterfinals.
“We have been doing well in the Olympics so far, but that doesn’t mean we should be overconfident about our ongoing form. The real battle is yet to begin, and Belgium is definitely going to be our biggest obstacle in guaranteeing our spot in the quarters.
“The Belgians have been excellent with their attacks and can take us down easily if we are not alert enough in our defending.
“It’s going to be challenging for our boys to maintain our momentum against them, as they are one of the best teams in the world in terms of reading their opponents’ gameplay.
“If we can maintain our current momentum against them, it will indeed boost our team morale, and I can foresee that we will not have any issues progressing further in this tournament.
“I have the experience of working with Belgium in the past, hence, for now, I would like the entire team to remain humble until we meet them on the turf.
“We need to keep in mind that no matter how much we miss up front, if the team defends strongly, it is always beneficial. In this case, I would like to thank my defense and my goalkeeper, PR Sreejesh, for always protecting our fort when it matters most,” said Fulton when contacted.
Veteran goalkeeper Sreejesh, who recently announced that he will be retiring after Paris, has made a total of 24 saves in the last three pool matches.
For the record, India and Belgium have met 91 times since the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, with India having a higher winning percentage of 56% (51 wins).
India is the most successful team in the sport at the Olympics, having won a total of 12 medals (8 golds, 1 silver, and 3 bronze) since their first appearance in 1928.
The Men in Blue are currently ranked number five in the world with 2,729.77 points. – July 31, 2024
